The Princess and the Pauperess
by narcoleptic shishkabob
Summary: Princess Kikyou and peasant Kagome trade places for a month, thinking each has the better life. What they're about to find out could not be further from the truth. AU COMPLETE Yay!
1. To smile

Disclaimer: I do not own (or wish to own) the Inuyasha series or any characters therein, nor do I own the Prince and the Pauper storyline. Any changes made to either offer no profit to me and are therefore excusable by law. Or...I hope so...  
  
  
The Princess and the Pauperess  
  
  
Chapter one

  
To smile  
  
  
  
Princess Kikyou stared from her place by the large, immaculately clean window adorning her bedroom wall. She sighed as she rested her head on her knees, curling into a tighter ball than before. If only I could see from the outside...Her thoughts were erased as the messenger boy entered the room without knocking. Of course.  
  
"Princess," he said as he nodded his head. She didn't miss the smirk playing on his features. She stood and faced him calmly, her dress swishing at her feet.  
  
"Inuyasha," she replied, "you have a message for me?" He grinned and moved towards her. She smiled back at him as he took her hands in his.  
  
"Guess what?" He seemed excited. Kikyou was very curious as to what it was.  
  
"What?" she asked, hoping she didn't seem too eager.  
  
"After all that sh--" he started, but stopped when Kikyou glared at him. "All that _crap_ you do everyday, you have a trip to take." Kikyou's features immediately lit up. A trip! Finally, something to do aside from her everyday drab and droll.  
  
"You mean I finally get out of this prison?"  
  
"Yep," Inuyasha confirmed. Kikyou launched herself into his arms, laughing.  
  
"Finally! Yes!" she exclaimed. Inuyasha nuzzled her neck and she pushed him away. "I'm a princess, remember," she told him. She hated that. If she weren't a princess then marrying him would be no problem for anybody. But as it were, she was betrothed, and marrying Inuyasha would ruin everything for pretty much everyone. He knew as well as she did that her only motive for pushing him away was her position. She could see the loathing for it in his eyes.  
  
"Be careful out there," he told her seriously. "You _are_ a princess, remember." She grinned at him and pressed her lips to his. He jumped back in shock.  
  
"I guess one couldn't hurt." She shrugged and smiled at him. His look softened and he turned to go. They both had their duties. She sighed as her servants streamed into her room, their skirts swishing and their arms either reaching for her or carrying something. It was time to get re-dressed...  
  
. . . . .  
  
"Really? Here?" Kagome asked, swinging her legs over the water of the stream. Miroku, her trusted friend and partner in crime nodded his head earnestly.  
  
"Yep. That's what I heard."  
  
"Don't you think it's a bit odd that a princess would flaunt herself down here?" Sango asked. Kagome's head shot up in surprise.  
  
"Sango!" she exclaimed. "I didn't see you coming."  
  
"She's very sneaky," Miroku noted, nodding his head in finality.  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Sango huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "_I'm_ not the one who steals for a living!" Miroku waved his hand around, trying to calm the now fuming girl.  
  
"Settle down for god's sake, I was kidding." Sango's hackles visibly dropped and she sat beside the boy. Her bare feet dipped into the frigid water, and she sighed.  
  
"Did you have a bad day?" Kagome asked, watching a fish swim by, seemingly oblivious to their presence. Sango muttered something that she didn't catch, but it was obvious from the way she'd muttered it that she wanted them to drop the subject.  
  
"What do you think the princess looks like?" Miroku asked, his eyes taking on a wistful gleam.  
  
"Probably like a stuck-up bitch."  
  
"Kagome!" Sango chided. Her voice hit a surprised note, though. Kagome was not one for cursing. "Don't tell me you'd be any different if you were princess."  
  
"I wish I was. Kings don't see their daughters, let alone beat them." The tone of her voice caused the two to look at her.  
  
"You mean it still bothers you?" Sango asked. Kagome glared at the crystal water.  
  
"Just hit him back." Miroku shrugged. "Worked for me." Sango sighed, exasperated.  
  
"It doesn't work that way for girls!"  
  
"Sure it does."  
  
"How would _you_ know? Last time I checked, you were male."  
  
"You checked?"  
  
"Not in _that_ way!"  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Kagome!" A voice called from downstream, towards the town. Kagome stood.  
  
"That's Souta and Shippou. I have to go." With that, she waved to her friends, who waved back and watched her go. She would have hell to pay if she didn't get on it fast enough. And that night, she would go with Miroku again to collect her _own_ earnings. _One of these days,_ she told herself as she walked with Souta and Shippou back to town_,__ I'm going to be free of this prison._ And money was the only option.  
  
. . . . .  
  
Kikyou climbed apprehensively into the lavish covered carriage. She'd always wanted to see the world. But, somehow by leaving her cage she felt vulnerable. As if the outside world would crush her small procession without a second thought. It was also somewhat less-than-exciting with the knowledge that she was only passing through the town on her way to meet her betrothed. Why she was even meeting the man before the wedding was beyond her. But if it gave her a chance to see the outside, she was willing. She had requested for Inuyasha to accompany her, but her request was harshly denied. She pulled one of the curtains back enough to peer through.  
  
"Goodbye elder sister!" her little sister Kaede called from Inuyasha's side on the steps. The messenger boy was merely glaring at her, something he did when deep in thought or when experiencing conflicting emotions. Kikyou smiled and blew the two a kiss before sitting back in the carriage. It would take around a day to get through town, and another to reach her betrothed. Kikyou snorted in a very unladylike fashion. There was a reason "betroth" rhymed with "loathe." She was, indeed, in a very loatheful situation. She glanced back outside for a few seconds before deciding to take a nap. It would be a very long journey.  
  
"Kikyou!" Inuyasha called. He sounded angry. Kikyou rose from her current position at the table in time for him to come barreling into the room, growling and glaring in that special way of his.  
  
"What is it Inu--"  
  
"Kikyou!" he repeated, striding across the room and past Kikyou, only to stop near the fainting couch, fuming at a faceless, blurry form that sat, their stance also angry.  
  
"What do you want now? I told you it wasn't me!" The person rose and stood menacingly close to the messenger boy, whose body tensed with now uncomfortable anger. He'd never liked being close to anyone other than Kikyou herself. So who was this that he was fighting with? Was it her, or was it someone else? How could it not be her if he was calling her name?  
  
"It was you, I know it! _You_," he jabbed an accusatory finger in the person's face, "stole my favorite jacket!" The person harrumphed.  
  
"That nasty piece of shit?" they replied heatedly. "Why in the world would I take that, of all things?" Inuyasha turned towards Kikyou suddenly, catching her off-guard.  
  
"Inuya--" she started, but he didn't seem to hear.  
  
"She's not Kikyou," he stated, his beautiful eyes boring into hers.  
  
Kikyou awoke with a start followed by a scream as the carriage suddenly wobbled dangerously. It shuddered violently as it came to a stop.  
  
"Damn. Of all the luck..." the carriage boy muttered, leaping from his perch.  
  
"What's going on?" One of the guards called as his horse clopped in closer. Kikyou stepped from the carriage, bedraggled and confused. It wasn't two seconds after she'd exited the carriage than it toppled over and off the road.  
  
"Aw, shit!" the carriage boy kicked the ground angrily. "We'll need to get another spoke and some rope to right the carriage." The guard blinked a few times. The carriage boy let out a cry of exasperation. "I have to do everything myself, don't I?" With that, he began stomping down the road towards the town.  
  
"Where's he going?" the guard asked in wonderment.  
  
"It'll be dark before I get back! Set up camp or something!" the carriage boy called over his shoulder. Kikyou couldn't help but smile to herself. An adventure! Finally…

AAR (author's awful rants): Wahaha! I've had this idea for way too long, so I've finally written it all out up to chapter 2. So at least up to there is guaranteed. So, tell me what you think, and if you run across any errors, please tell me in a review so that I can correct them sometime down the road, thanks! Oh, yes. Also, I totally forgot how much a shilling was worth, so if anyone could tell me before I post the next chapter, that would be most helpful! ^_^ Thank you for reading this fic!


	2. Fortune's changing

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except this computer (which I got for free), this shirt (which I got at a garage sale for a dollar) and my pet mice (which are absolutely the most adorable things in the entire universe!) I don't even own these jeans! My mother had to get them for me…-_-;  
  
  
The Princess and the Pauperess  
  
  
Chapter two

  
Fortune's changing  
  
  
  


Kagome, Miroku, and Sango strutted down the rutted carriage path, linking arms by the crooks of their elbows. Today was a good day. Kagome had taken in enough earnings to appease her father, and she had even kept some of that for herself. Miroku's day had been the same, and Sango had gained a hefty profit from whatever line of work she was in. Kagome and Miroku had learned the hard way not to ask the girl what she did for a living. They were drunken without so much as a drop of liquor, and reveling in life.

Kagome had agreed to marry Kouga, another pickpocket, as soon as possible. Once she was in his charge, she would not have to live with her overbearing father. Kouga was a sweet man, with only Kagome's welfare at heart. He loved her, she could tell, and she loved him. At first, she'd turned him away. She'd told him that she could not love him in that way, but over time, and due to his persistence, she'd given in, and allowed him into her heart. She was glad for it.

"Are you sure you should marry Kouga?" Sango suddenly asked. Kagome snapped back into reality, a good deal sobered.

"Well, yes. I love him."

"And he's better than your father," Miroku chimed in.

"Miroku. Think of this objectively. How do you know he's better than Kagome's father?" Sango prodded. Miroku sighed and clapped her on the back.

"He's my best friend, I think I would know him well enough."

"I'm going to marry him," Kagome broke into the conversation with her own input. "I feel like it's the right thing to do." Miroku and Sango snorted at that.

"You also thought it was 'the right thing to do' to never tell a lie," Sango pointed out sensibly. Well, she'd been got.

"Okay, you're right. But I really think he's a good person, and he loves me." Sango laughed.

"Men can't love, Kagome!" Miroku and Kagome shot her an odd look at the harsh tone in her voice.

"I'm going to marry him, no matter what," Kagome informed the two. They nodded, though Sango still seemed opposed to the idea. "So, Mr. Money-Keeper," she addressed Miroku, changing the subject, "what's our grand total so far?" Miroku thought for a second before responding.

"Three-hundred shillings," he stated finally. Sango's eyes bugged out.

"You've saved that much?" she asked incredulously. Miroku nodded heartily.

"And what happens to all your earnings, Sango dear?" he asked. She fiddled with her sleeves for a minute.

"I give them to my…mother. Yes. She puts them to good use." The other two nodded.

"Yes, you do always have a fairly full stomach," Kagome noted. Sango smiled.

"Thanks to mother."

They laughed. It was odd to them to have a matriarchal family, but it sure seemed to work better than the alternative.

. . . . .

Kikyou sat upon a rock far away from 'camp.' She'd told them all to leave her alone, and they'd done so, as any good servants would. She smiled to herself as she watched a squirrel jump from one branch to a higher one, twitching its tail as it berated her for sitting so close to its turf. Suddenly, the sound of far distant laughter floated through her senses. Intrigued, she bunched her skirts up in her fists and held them high enough so as to make a quick getaway in the general direction of the gleeful voices. Perhaps she would get a chance to talk to real life peasants. She could only hope. She'd been told that they were nothing but barely above animal, and she wanted to prove that theory wrong. She jogged along beside the path, keeping a sharp lookout. Finally, she spotted a group of three young people, all having a grand time in their conversation. The man was tall and attractive, though had an odd dirt/soot combo smeared over his features, by the looks of things. Kikyou smiled as she took in the appearance of one of the two girls. She was tall and shapely, and better dressed than the other two. She was also cleaner. Kikyou's eyes wandered to the final face, and her heart skipped a beat. It was her own! With a different stroke of fate, that girl could have been born in the position of princess, and no one would know one way or the other. As if on cue, a plot formulated itself within Kikyou's mind. She stepped up to the small group and introduced herself.

"I am Kikyou," she said formally, purposefully omitting the title 'Princess.'

"She looks rich," the tall girl whispered into the man's ear, who nodded in agreement. Kikyou smiled at them. The shorter girl suddenly gasped.

"You look like me!" she exclaimed, pointing. Not a polite gesture, but Kikyou reminded herself that the poor girl probably did not know differently.

"It is a lovely day," Kikyou said lightly. The three nodded mutely, not sure what to do. The princess smiled at them genuinely. "I've never been out beyond the walls before."

"What walls?" the shorter girl asked curiously. Kikyou leaned in close, her eyes sparkling.

"The castle walls," she informed them. The shorter girl gasped, but the other two just stared at her, incredulous.

"Well, the Princess's name _is _Kikyou…" the man finally concurred under his breath. Suddenly, the taller girl grabbed a hold of Kikyou's hand and shook it firmly. She had a very strong grip.

"I'm Sango," she introduced herself. Kikyou could tell that she was trying to be formal. It made her smile. These were not bad people. They were merely underprivileged.

"I'm Kagome," the other girl stated, bowing slightly. The man bowed as well.

"And I am Miroku. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess Kikyou."

"Don't think me rude," Sango said, "but why is a Princess such as yourself wandering around alone?"

"My carriage broke down. We're awaiting repairs, so I went for a walk."

"Alone?" Sango pressed. Kikyou raised an eyebrow. This girl was sharp as a tack.

"Yes…" she sighed. "I…I don't really enjoy being what I am. I've never been out before, so I thought…"

"You thought you could escape," Kagome finished for her, smiling. "I know exactly how you feel."

"Would you like to see the town?" Miroku asked suddenly. Kikyou nodded.

"Yes, I would love to."

"Well, come on, Princess," he urged, and hooked her arm with his. Kagome hooked her other, and Sango linked up with Kagome. They tromped down the path together, and for the first time Kikyou believed herself truly happy.

. . . . .

Kagome listened intently as the Princess talked of life inside the castle walls. She could just picture it in her mind—a beautiful, landscaped lawn, a large, billowy bed with pillows, and servants to answer to your every beck and call. It sounded truly wonderful, and it was a wonder as to why this beautiful Princess would wish to 'escape,' as she'd said. Then the Princess told them that she had been on her way to meet her future husband, and either reject him or accept her fate.

"You mean you get a choice?" Kagome asked. "I'd always heard that Princesses couldn't choose who they married."

"Well, we're not supposed to, but if we refuse stubbornly then there's really nothing that can be done. At least, I know my father would respect my wishes if I were adamant enough."

"Were you planning on rejecting him?" Miroku asked. Kikyou sighed.

"I wasn't sure. I was going to meet him, then decide." The three nodded.

"It must be hard for you," Sango said, a note of sadness tingeing her voice. Kagome laughed.

"Hard? With all the money and food in the kingdom? Yeah, right."

"Would you like to be princess?" Kikyou asked of her.

"Would I ever!" Kagome responded happily. Just the thought of having everything all at once was highly tantalizing.

"Well, then. How would you like to take my place?" Kagome's jaw dropped so quickly it jarred itself.

"What?" she asked, suddenly unsure of the situation.

"It would only be for a month, then we would switch back, since people would begin to wonder…"

"Are you serious?" Kagome asked, turning to fully face the Princess beside her.

"Of course I am."

"Well…when…um…when do you want to switch?"

"How about today?"

"You know, I could pass as a Princess, too," Miroku suddenly jumped in. All three girls shot him speculative glances.

" 'Oh my, Princess,'" Sango started, imitating a handmaid's voice, " 'What's that bulge under your nightgown?'" Kagome and the rest began laughing, and for the remainder of the trek to the town, never truly stopped.

. . . . .

Kikyou could not believe her luck! After she'd gotten the girl washed up and had cut her own hair, they really were identical. The only difference that remained was a very minute height difference and their slightly different eye colors. No one would notice either, except maybe Inuyasha…

"Kagome?" Kikyou said as she helped the girl into her clothes.

"Yeah?" the girl replied, struggling into the final layer.

"There is a boy—a man at the castle whom I've been…close to. He may notice that we have switched."

"Is he trustworthy? Can I just tell him that I'm not you, but that you'll be back in a month?" Kagome wondered. Kikyou pondered this for a moment. Was he _that_ trustworthy? Or would he tear Kagome limb from limb before going off in search of the real Kikyou? Come to think of it, that scenario was highly likely…

"Oh, he's trustworthy. Go ahead and tell him. But also inform him that this was my decision, and I will not be talked out of it." Kagome smiled.

"Sure." Kikyou smiled back warmly, and they embraced. "Stay clear of my father. He's pretty rough with me. When he tells you to do something, just do it." Kikyou nodded.

"I will." With that, Kagome stepped from the room, and began making her way toward the carriage path just outside of town with Sango as her bodyguard. Miroku stepped into the room and began filling Kikyou in on what Kagome did, some family history, and about Kouga. Kikyou nodded. So the girl was to be married soon, also? At least she could marry whomever she wished, and Kouga seemed like a good man. Speaking of men, she sincerely wondered how well Kagome and Inuyasha would fare. She hoped, with a worry to her lip, that he would not be too rash when he discovered that a mere peasant was taking his Princess's place for a month. _It's only a month_, she reminded herself, _how much could that upset him?_


	3. According to plan

Dedications:

Twil: Thank you for saying I'm doing a good job! It makes my head explode with happiness! ^____^

Moonlit Meadow (times 2!): Hey! I hate those too! Finally, someone _else_ who can't stand those deception stories…Thanks for your review!

Whee! I've gotten three reviews! *Jumps about in glee*

Disclaimer: I own it all! All, I tell you! *eyes flash madly*

The Princess and the Pauperess

Chapter 3

According to plan

Kikyou stared at the man before her. He was very attractive, in a rebellious sort of way, with a long, expressive ponytail and sharp blue eyes. She could swear he even had fangs. He looked her over in a scrutinizing fashion for a moment before tossing his head and smirking.

"This isn't Kagome," he announced. Kikyou caught Miroku shaking his head slightly. She smiled. There was no point in keeping up the charade. This Kouga person was obviously quite sure of his statement.

"You're right. Kagome will be back in a month," Kikyou informed him.

"Well, where's she gone to?" he asked, his gruff voice belying his concern for Kagome.

"To the castle. Just for a month," Kikyou assured him. They stared at each other for quite some time before anyone spoke.

"Damn…" Kouga muttered. "She won't wanna have anything to do with me after this…" Kikyou cocked her head.

"Why?" she asked. In all honesty, she didn't know what the castle had in comparison to love. Kouga sighed.

"Girls like money, not men," he responded as if it were obvious. Kikyou pulled a face.

"No they don't," she corrected him. "They like love."

"Girls like money," Kouga insisted. "I've known enough to know that." Kikyou shook her head.

"No, trust me. As a girl. We'll choose true love over money any day."

"No you won't." Kouga scoffed. Kikyou couldn't believe this insolent man! The least he could do would be to listen to her perspective.

"Yes, we will," she retorted.

"No you won't."

"Yes we will."

"No you won't."

"Yes. We _will_."

"You _won't_."

"Will."

"Won't."

"Okay! Enough already!" Miroku cut in, obviously exasperated with their bickering. "God…after only ten minutes of knowing each other, too." Kouga smirked at Kikyou, who glared back stonily. She would show him. Kagome would come back, and she would marry him, and he would know…

 . . . . .

Kagome lay sprawled on the gargantuan, unnaturally fluffy bed, snuggling her face into a soft, sweet-smelling pillow. Ah, this was the life…She had abandoned the dresses for a slip, and the cool silk felt wonderful against her callused skin. She never wanted to go back home…Suddenly, someone barreled into the room. Kagome sat up abruptly, causing her head to spin a bit.

"What?" she asked. The young man stood, rooted in place, seemingly unable to form coherent syllables. He was looking at her oddly, and it unnerved her. "What?" she repeated, hoping to shake him from his stupor.

"Why are you back so soon?" he asked. Kagome blinked. She thought everyone knew by then that she'd claimed ill and insisted on going back 'home' to the castle.

"I—I'm sick," she told him. He shot her an incredulous look. That was when Kagome noticed his eyes, which were a beautiful, predatory golden. Oh, she could stare into those eyes all day…

"Kikyou?" he asked, forcing her from her reverie. She shook her head and stood.

"You're Inuyasha, right?" she questioned, cocking her head.

"Are you okay?" he asked, moving toward her a few steps.

"Please answer my question," she pressed. He raised an eyebrow at her, but complied.

"I'm Inuyasha. What game are you playing?" Kagome released a sigh of relief, and smiled at him.

"Good, then I can tell you. Kikyou said you'd be trustworthy, so I expect you to be." He rewarded her with the utmost of perplexed expressions, with his brows furrowed, his mouth in a thoughtful frown, and his head tilted to the side.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he finally asked.

"I'm not Kikyou," Kagome confessed. She sounded more nonchalant than she felt, and patted herself on the back. _Good job, Kagome…To her surprise, Inuyasha barked out a laugh._

"Very funny," he announced.

"What?" Kagome asked, confused. To her surprise, he moved close enough that she could smell his unique scent. He touched her chin and coaxed her face up to look into his eyes.

"You think I don't know you?" he asked. She sighed and moved out of his grasp.

"My name's Kagome. I'm not Kikyou, but she should be back in a month."

"Kagome, huh?" Inuyasha scoffed. "Where'd you come up with that? A nursery rhyme?" Kagome's eyes turned to slits as she glared at the moronic bastard before her.

"It's a good name, and it's mine!" she spat out. "Ka. Go. Me. Remember it." She spun around to face the bed, but he grabbed her arm and turned her to face him once again. He gave her a good once over, then gasped slightly.

"You're not her…"

"_You're_ quick," Kagome snipped.

"What did you do with Kikyou?" he demanded, shaking her a little.

"Ow! Hands off!" she pushed him away and quickly moved out of his reach. He glared at her.

"If you've killed her…" he started, but her scoffing silenced him.

"Who would want to kill Kikyou? Now, wanting to kill you I could understand…"

"You stupid bitch. Just tell me where she is." He crossed his arms and refused to cease his unwavering glower.

"We switched places—that's all. She'll be back in a month. Just call me Kikyou till she gets back and it's all fine."

"No. She can't do this. She switched places with a peasant? I can't believe this!" He moved faster than Kagome's eyes could follow, and had her upper arm in his incredibly strong hand again. He began dragging her in the general direction of the door. "Come on, wench. You're taking me to get the Princess back."

"Kikyou said you might do something rash…" Kagome offered. "She also told me that in the case of such I should tell you that it was her express wish to live the life of a peasant for a month, and that you would understand." She shot him an incredulous look. "Though you don't exactly strike me as an understanding sort of fellow…I really wonder what she sees in you…" He released her from his grip roughly, causing her to stumble and almost lose her balance.

"Shut up," he commanded, "just shut up." He ran his hands through his hair and sighed, lengthily and exasperatedly. "Fine, I'll play along, but only because this seems like something Kikyou would do. If you get in my way, I'll kill you." With that, he exited the room in a flourish of anger and frustration. Really…

"Who's the bitch?" Kagome asked herself aloud before collapsing into the mass of unholy fluffiness that was her bed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Okay, Inuyasha's a bit out of character in this chapter. Just remember that Kikyou hasn't betrayed him in this fic. Also bear in mind that with Kagome around long enough, he'll soon be back to his old self. ^_^ Reviews/constructive criticisms are greatly appreciated. Thank you.


	4. Call me by name

Dedications:

Moonlit Meadow: Woohoo! Yes! Death to evil Kagome abusing Inuyasha *cackles*

Keolla (times 3! YAY!): It's LilFoxgirl! *tackles* You just…disappeared there for a while (or maybe I disappeared…whatever). You are so right about parts being rushed *blushes* I'm bad about rushing. Thank you for noticing, saying something, and for the three wonderful reviews! ^_^

Alright! FOUR reviews this time! Yesssss!

Disclaimer: *lies on the floor, twitching*

The Princess and the Pauperess

Chapter 4

Call me by name

Sweat pouring down her face, Kikyou continued to drag the makeshift broom across the floor. No matter what she did, the dirt, dust, and other forms of grime would _not_ go away. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and was preparing for another go when a large, burly man suddenly tumbled in through the front door. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"K'gome," he slurred, resting his arm against the wall for support. Kikyou stood up straighter.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Wha've you go' fer me?" he asked, suppressing a belch. The princess fought the urge to grimace. This was Kagome's father?

"Here," she said placidly as she pulled two gold pieces and some shillings from her pocket. She handed them to him, and he barely managed to snatch them from her grasp without falling over. He stared in what appeared to be shock.

"Gold?" he asked. "How da hell'd you ge' gold?" Kikyou shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant.

"Some rich guy." The man nodded as if he understood before slumping to the ground. Kikyou almost bent to help him stand, but realized that he was asleep. She breathed out a long sigh of relief. How could such a foul creature produce such a wonderful daughter? Kikyou hurried to the bed and pulled the blanket away from its hard surface. She then carefully wrapped it about the dozing man's frame. There. Now, to meet Miroku and Sango in the square. She tidied up a bit, pulled Kagome's 'shoes' over her feet, and bustled out the door.

"How can Kagome live with her father?" Kikyou asked the two teens as they walked down a path away from town.

"Dunno. It's just something you do," Miroku offered. Sango nodded, looking to the ground.

"And Kagome's a pickpocket…" The two nodded. "You're a pickpocket, too." She pointed to Miroku, thoroughly enjoying being able to jab her index finger in someone's direction without being scolded. "And, what do you do again?" she asked Sango, who visibly stiffened.

"I—I'd rather not say," the girl finally conceded.

"She didn't hit you! You're lucky. She practically beat me to a bloody pulp when I asked," Miroku told Kikyou.

"I wouldn't hit a princess!" Sango defended herself as she whapped the boy over the head. Kikyou giggled to herself. It was obvious that the two were very close, but there was something akin to a wall erected firmly in place that prevented any further closeness. It seemed to be Sango's doing, which was odd. Such a smart girl should be able to tell when a nice boy was interested…

"So, tell me more about Kagome," Kikyou finally said. Miroku grinned and slung his arm over her shoulder.

"Certainly, Princess," he agreed. Sango shot him a glare, and he removed his arm.

"Don't get touchy-feely with her, Miroku. Sheesh…"

"Would you rather me get touchy-feely with you, my dear Sango?" Miroku asked, waggling his eyebrows. Sango scooted away from him and somehow managed to put Kikyou between her and the boy.

"I'd rather die," Sango informed him vehemently. He chuckled, but made no comeback.

"You need to know that Kagome's mother died giving birth to her little brother when she was eight. The baby died a few months later. Let's see…" Miroku trailed off, looking to the sky as he worked his memory. How could he be so casual about all of this?

"Did her father start beating her after her mother died?"

"Yeah. He started drinking, and everything went downhill from there. Souta—the baby—died of neglect, but we don't talk about this in front of Kagome. It's a pretty tender subject, since she tried to take care of him."

"She was just too young, it wasn't her fault," Sango chimed in. Kikyou was aghast.

"How can you live like that?" The two exchanged looks and Sango shrugged.

"We all have our demons," she said simply, and Miroku nodded his agreement. Conversation was more on the light-hearted side for the duration of the trip.

. . . . .

Kagome swooped down the hallway in her slip and an overdress. There was no need to wear all those layers, right? She grinned and greeted a servant that bowed to her several times in quick succession. She wanted to tell them not to, that there wasn't any need, but alas. She was _Princess Kikyou. She giggled merrily under her breath. Yes, her stomach was full, her spirits were high, and there was that bastard Inuyasha. They passed each other, both moving as far from the other as possible. Kagome smiled and greeted him on her way, but he only scowled and called her 'Bitch' again. She hated that! He acted so much like a sober version of her father it was scary. She seriously wondered what Kikyou could possibly see in a guy like that. In her opinion, the messenger boy was the opposite of the kind of guy she would actually consider. She sighed. There were always girls who seemed to like abusive, egotistical males—her mother, for example._

"Hey, wench!" someone (undoubtedly Inuyasha) called from behind. Kagome whirled around and placed a glare on her face. They were alone in the hallway.

"What do you want?" she snapped back. "You wanna insult me some more? Well, I won't stand for it!" She stomped her foot to illustrate her point.

"Kikyou's father has requested to see you. He says it's fairly urgent."

"What? Does he know?" she placed a hand over her mouth. If he knew…She could be sentenced to death!

"No, you moron. If he knew, Kikyou would get into trouble," Inuyasha replied.

"And I would probably be hanged, but that's beside the point, isn't it?" Kagome retorted.

"You got it, wench." He turned away from her. "You do know the way to the throne room, right?"

"Um…" she fidgeted with her dress and scuffed her foot on the smooth, clean floor.

"I'll take that as a 'no.'" He made a beckoning motion. "Come on, then. We can't keep the King waiting."

"R-right…" He strode off and turned a corner. Kagome ran to catch up to him, but not fast enough. She glanced down the corridor to her right, then down the corridor to her left. He had turned right, but…Suddenly, he grabbed her upper arm and began dragging her down the corridor to her right.

"You are so damn slow, wench. I don't know how you survived all these years as a stinking pauper."

"There's nothing wrong with being poor, okay? All my friends are better people than you can ever hope to be." Inuyasha scoffed.

"Yeah, right. And you won't be a bar wench or something in a couple of years." Kagome's face immediately flushed in anger.

"I won't! I've been saving up money. I'll get out, I know I will!" She wrenched out of his grasp, and they stopped in front of a couple of doors.

"So you're trying to work your way up the classes, huh?" Inuyasha mused. "It won't work unless you marry a rich man in a higher class…" Kagome gave him an odd look. Where was he going with this? "So that's why you're here! To marry Kikyou's future husband!" He grinned triumphantly and Kagome rolled her eyes.

"You are _so smart_. You know, you're so quick, I hadn't even thought of it yet," she told him dryly. He glared at her.

"It's a month, right wench?" he asked. Kagome nodded.

"Good. I can't wait till you're gone."

"Well, until I'm gone, could you please call me by my name?" she asked of him hopefully. Being called 'wench' was beginning to really grate on her nerves. The boy just snorted, not saying one way or another. "Remember, it's Kagome," she informed him. "This is the throne room, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, thank you for leading me here." He snorted and walked away. She pulled the doors open, and stepped into the room. A servant closed the door behind her. Wait…what was she supposed to do? Kikyou's father was sitting upon the throne, looking down at her with a neutral expression. Was she supposed to bow, or was that taboo? "F-father," she stuttered, pulling a slight curtsey. He eyed her for a moment.

"Your voice has changed," he noted calmly.

"It's the sickness…" Kagome trailed off.

"Yes, of course. I called on you because I received word that your fiancé wished to meet you here. Since you were too ill to travel, I agreed. I am glad to see that you're looking better."

"Yes, father…" Oh god, what was she going to do?! "How long will it take him to reach here?" she asked, at once realizing that it probably sounded less formal to them than it did to her.

"He should arrive by mid-afternoon tomorrow."

"Okay…and…what is his name again?" Kagome mentally kicked herself. Surely he would figure it out. She kept digging herself in deeper. To her surprise, the King laughed.

"You've never been able to remember his name," he said with mirth. Kagome let out a rush of breath she hadn't known she was holding. She waited for him to tell her, but he seemed to have spaced out.

"So…what's his name?" she prodded quietly.

"What? Oh, yes…his name is Naraku."

"Naraku…" Kagome repeated to herself. "Is that all?" she asked. The King didn't seem to hear her, however, and she repeated herself.

"What? Yes, yes. That's all. Thank you Kikyou. Get some rest, won't you?" He smiled at her, and she smiled back as she spared a small curtsey before exiting the throne room.

Where was her room again?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

AAR: Alright! Sorry that chapter took so long to get out! It took me forever to get started, but once started, it wasn't too bad. It's like mowing the lawn. You dread it until the grass is up to your knees, then you have a grand time cutting it all down…Anyway. Thank you to all who have reviewed thus far, I'm sorry about the long wait, I'm sorry again for Inuyasha's OOCness. And no, Naraku will _not_ be evil in this fic. Actually, he will be quite nice—just a little weird. Well, you'll see what I mean. And what is Sango's elusive occupation? If anyone has any ideas, I would like to hear them. I bet someone has it all figured out (I am a pretty straightforward writer). So…thanks again for reading, and reviews are appreciated, especially if they come in the rare form of helpful criticism (pointing out errors or giving suggestions). Hint, hint ^_^


	5. Reveal me

Dedications:

Keolla (times 2!!): I just love your reviews! ^_^ Yes, Kikyou's dad knows something's up, but there's also something wrong with him…erk, I think I said too much…Anyway, I may make Sango's occupation clear in this chapter, and if not, definitely in the next (it's probably exactly what you're thinking). I agree about Kagome's dad. What a bastard…Anyway…Don't worry, I wasn't gonna take the advice. Even if they were right, I like Miroku spelled with an 'i' better. Thanks again!

darkstarspirt: Yay! Thank you for liking the story! I wasn't quite sure what you meant by my spelling Miroku wrong. Did I accidentally spell it 'meroku,' or is that how it's supposed to be spelled? I read the Japanese Inuyasha, and (at least, according to hiragana) it is spelled with an 'i.' I'm sorry if that spelling annoys you!

Inukrazy-03: Haha! I laugh at the thought of Miroku being 'nice,' too. So, he'll be a little perverted, but also nice, because I need him that way for the plot! Thank you for the awesome review! ^___^

Sweet Sad Jess: Yes, oh yes. It should be _very good! Especially since I've never considered writing Naraku as anything but a villain! Thanks for the review!_

hehe (times 4!!!): Wow! Thank you for the four wonderful reviews! It makes me happy just looking at them (let alone reading them). About your question, I didn't really think about whether demons existed in this story or not…now I'm kind of in a fix since I made Inuyasha's eyes his hanyou color. So, I think I'll go ahead and claim everyone to be human (even Inuyasha), and keep his eye color gold, and make his hair black. I'm glad you asked the question—I would have kept putting off addressing the problem otherwise. Thanks again for the reviews!

Wow! Tons of reviews this time around! Woohooo! Well, I think I wrote a whole novel for dedications…sorry.

Disclaimer: I think by now it should be understood…

The Princess and the Pauperess

Chapter 5

Reveal me

It had been three days since Kagome and Princess Kikyou had switched places, and already Kagome felt like slipping a rattlesnake into Inuyasha's bed. He would _not stop calling her 'wench' and 'bitch,' no matter what she did. She was _this close_ (enter absence of space) to spontaneous combustion, and would undoubtedly take the whole castle with her. She was once again in nothing but her slip, only this time she was holding a corset in front of her face, studying it. Naraku had been delayed, but had sent a messenger ahead to inform the castle occupants that he would be arriving before dinner that day. So Kagome had to wear a corset. Did it go under or over the slip? She couldn't remember. __I really shouldn't have dodged my handmaidens…she chastised herself. _Okay, I'll just put it on over my slip,_ she decided. But how did it go on? Did it really matter, as long as it got on? No. With that, Kagome began her struggle to slip the very uncomfortable looking thing over her head. She was doing pretty well, until she could no longer reach to push or pull the thing down._

"Aw, man," she complained. Her voice was muffled through the fabric of the corset. She began wiggling about and craning her neck to get some air, but it was useless. Where were those stupid handmaidens when you needed them, anyway? She stomped around and rubbed against the bedpost, but all attempts to rid herself of the infernal clothing proved futile. She could feel her slip inching up and bunching underneath the part of the corset over her breasts. How uncomfortable. The blood was rushing from her arms, which were sticking precariously straight up above her head. "This is no fair…" she whined. She turned, and somehow managed to fall, which hurt a lot, due to her inability to catch herself. The door burst open, and she felt her whole body flush with embarrassment. She didn't want anyone to see her like this! Suddenly, whoever had barged in began laughing, and Kagome realized with a half sinking, half relieved pinch in her heart that it was Inuyasha. Only Inuyasha.

"Stop laughing!" she ordered angrily, trying to squirm from her place on the ground.

"Hahahahaha! You look so—haha—_regal_—hahaha!" he replied. She couldn't see him, but she was betting that he was actually holding his sides.

"It's not funny!" she told him loudly.

"I think it's hilarious," he quipped. His footsteps began toward her, and she realized that he was going to help. But, for some inexplicable reason, she didn't want him to. At all.

"Don't! I can get up _on my own_!" she stressed, trying desperately to prove her point. He chuckled.

"I don't want anyone else to see. You'd make a fool of Kikyou, you stupid wench." His hands grasped her waist and hoisted her onto her feet. She glared at him, though he couldn't see. He began hastily loosening the laces.

"Do you know how to put on a corset?" Kagome asked reluctantly as he did his work. He snorted.

"No, why would I?" He responded. She tried to shrug, but it didn't work. "Stop moving," he growled out, stilling her. Finally, the damn thing was loose enough that she could breathe. Inuyasha pulled the thing down where it was supposed to be, and Kagome turned to him gratefully, sucking in greedy amounts of air. "Your face is maroon," he told her helpfully.

"Yeah, well, I've been asphyxiating for ten minutes," she responded as she began to try tying the laces on her own. Why did everything about this corset have to be so hard?

"Such a big word for a peasant," he commented.

"Does this look right? Or does this corset thing need to go under the slip?" Kagome asked, choosing to ignore his rude remark. She flapped her arms to somehow illustrate her point, and he shrugged.

"How would I know?"

"Oh, come on." She rolled her eyes. "It's not like you've never seen Kikyou in her underwear before." He blushed several shades of red and spluttered out a denial. "Whatever…" He finally managed to regain his composure, and looked at her seriously.

"Do you want me to help you?" he asked. She backed away from him, frightened. Was he possessed? Was he going to _die? She'd heard that a lot of times, people lost their wits before they died._

"Um…with what?" she responded intelligently.

"I don't think you can lace that on your own," he informed her. He was right…darn it.

"Uh…why?"

"Because, I think you're…a good person, and besides, you looking like crap would humiliate Kikyou." Did that really just come out of his mouth? Kagome smiled and turned her back to him.

"Thanks," she conceded. He merely growled and began tugging harshly at the strings. "Ow!" she complained. "Does it really…have to be…so tight?" she asked between vicious pulls.

"All I know is what Kikyou told me: 'The tighter the better.'" He shrugged and tugged again. "It can't hurt that bad, can it?" Kagome gasped out in pain as he tugged especially hard.

"Actually, yes—ah!—it can…"

"There. Done," Inuyasha announced as he stepped back to admire his handiwork. Kagome turned laboriously, her lungs attempting to heave for oxygen, but none coming.

"Okay…now…dress…" Kagome announced shakily as she made her way to the armoire. As quickly as she could manage. She grabbed the first dress she saw and threw it on haphazardly. Why couldn't she _breathe_? Her vision was pulsing haziness, and she tried shaking her head to be rid of it. She wanted to kill whoever had invented the corset. Repeatedly. She snatched a pair of shoes and put them on, wondering why Inuyasha was still in the room.

"Ready?" he asked.

"For what?" she replied, suppressing a gasp as she tried walking toward the door.

"For meeting 'your' future husband, you dolt."

"Oh. I-I guess…"

"Good, follow me." He strolled from the room, and she tried valiantly to keep pace with him, but failed. She was leaned against the wall, wheezing, when the rude boy grabbed her by the upper arm and started dragging her all over the place again.

"So, why is he here so…early?" Kagome asked as breath still failed to reach her aching lungs. Inuyasha shrugged and turned the corner.

"I don't know everything," he responded. Kagome rolled her eyes, and immediately regretted it, for they almost stuck there.

"You are the messenger," she told him dryly. To her surprise, he turned his head and smirked at her before practically shoving her though the double doors of the throne room. "Wha—Inu—!" she started, but cut herself off when she spied the tall, handsome figure near Kikyou's father's throne.

"Ah, you must be Kikyou," he said. She meant to say, 'And you must be Naraku, pleased to meet you,' but her mouth moved differently.

"Uhhhrmmm…" she muttered before collapsing flat on her face; fainted.

. . . . .

Kikyou grinned as she made her way to Kouga's. It was getting late, but she wasn't worried in the least. She looked just like everyone else, and had discovered that to be the best way of avoiding conflict. Kouga had turned out to be a nice man, despite his obvious argumentative tendencies. Kikyou found herself spending more and more time with him. She sighed faintly. She _really_ wondered how Inuyasha and Kagome were getting on—were they fighting? Were they friends? _More_? Kikyou turned into a dark alley, her shoes echoing oddly. Suddenly, a voice rang out in the quiet.

"Ow, god! You know I charge extra when you get rough!" it echoed angrily. A man's voice chuckled. Kikyou moved closer, trying to be quiet.

"It's worth more," he responded, and Kikyou heard his boots clack the ground as walked away, farther down the alley. She scurried even closer, and peeked into the slight indent in the wall where the man had been. A woman stood, adjusting her skirt before shoving some coins in a little pouch. The strange, dark-haired woman turned slowly, revealing a frightfully familiar face.

"Sango?" Kikyou gasped, moving into full view. Said girl's face hardened, and her eyes pierced through Kikyou like fiery arrows.

"Kikyou…You know, I managed to keep this from Kagome and Miroku for _years_, and here you come along, figuring it out within days."

"I-I'm sorry, Sango. I didn't know you were—are you ashamed to tell your friends?" Sango laughed.

"Ashamed? Am I ashamed? I'm the dirtiest person I know…What do you think?" Kikyou blanched at the harsh tone in the girl's voice.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. You were born into this. You—"

"Listen, Princess, I'm glad for your sympathy." Sango allowed a small smile. "Just don't let it turn into pity." She sauntered past Kikyou, glaring hard at her. "I need to get back to work. Don't tell Miroku." With that, she disappeared the way Kikyou had come. The Princess leaned against the wall for support. So Sango…Well, that would certainly explain the girl's attitude toward men. But…poor Miroku. He had no idea why Sango hated him so avidly. She shook her head to rid it of her ponderings. With all this terrible poverty of soul around her, it was a wonder her brain hadn't exploded by now. It only took her a few more hurried minutes to reach Kouga's place.

"Kikyou, where have you been?" he demanded as she barged in through the warped, wooden door. She rolled her eyes.

"On my way over. Why? Where have _you been?" He smirked evenly._

"In my wildest dreams, living in a castle."

"Do I have to tell you another horror story? How long will it take you to believe me that the castle is _not that great._"

"Forever. And then some," he replied ruefully. She grinned and sat down across from him on the floor.

"Okay, here's a good one," she started, making sure he was paying attention by establishing eye contact. "I was six years old, and I was playing tag with my cousin. We were running very fast down the corridors, and skidding around corners. Well, I was rounding a corner especially haphazardly, and managed to smash into the most expensive decorative vase that my family owned." Kouga started laughing. Kikyou glared at him. "It's not funny! I could have been beheaded!" He rolled his eyes.

"Oh, yeah. Daddy's favorite being beheaded. Real plausible." She couldn't help but think how cute it was when he smirked, showing his little fang.

Yes. He was cute, handsome, and…_sexy._

Oh god.

AAR: Woohoo! Love is in the air! Or, in Kagome's case…in the lack of air! Yessss…this story is _finally_ going the way I friggen wanted it to in the first place. For those of you who are inclined to think that Kikyou's feelings are a bit rushed, may I remind you that she has never been outside the castle walls before. The only boy her age she's had much contact with as been Inuyasha. So…yeah. I hope I made Sango's occupation clear enough in this chapter. I really regret sticking her with something like that, but it's unfortunately necessary for her little subplot to work…*sigh* So…any questions? Comments? Constructive you-know-what? I've noticed that Kikyou's parts tend to be pretty short. I'll try to mend that next chapter. Anyway, remember that I love everyone who reads and enjoys this story! 


	6. The right love

Disclaimer: I ran into a wall today, and I said, "Hey!" Whoo! That rhymed. I don't have time—Okay, I'm done now.

The Princess and the Pauperess

Chapter 6

The right love

Kikyou stepped through Kouga's threshold confidently. The first week of her temporary life had passed by without anything too traumatic happening; that she was terribly glad for. She gazed about the unmanned, dirty, sparsely furnished room in a state of mild awe. The dirt gathered on the floor thicker in some places, and thinnest under the small, rotted table against the wall. Not too long ago, she reminded herself, she would have wondered how one could live in such a place. But now she knew—it was all _they_ knew. Kikyou's stomach growled, but she ignored it. What else could she do? Kouga sauntered in through another, smaller door that led to his small, closet-sized bedroom.

"Hey Kikyou," he greeted.

"Hello Kouga," she countered, shifting her weight. He looked at her expectantly, and she sighed. "I'm running out of stories to tell! You should take over for a while." He stood there pensively for a moment before shrugging.

"Sure," and he smirked, making his cute little fang visible. Kikyou felt her heart pound a little harder than necessary, and wondered if that was healthy. No one had ever really elicited these sorts of feelings from her. Not even Inuyasha. Speaking of, she wondered how he was doing…

"So…" she started, breaking the silence and the eye contact. Kouga suddenly moved closer, studying her face carefully.

"My princess, I think you're blushing," he informed her, and she instinctively raised a cool hand to her (indeed, unnaturally warm) cheek. He chuckled to himself before sitting on the floor against the wall. "Okay. Once, when I was little—around ten, I think—Miroku and I were swimming in this little pool of still water, and when we got out, we realized that we had leeches on us. Well, they were very big leeches, so it hurt to pull them off, and blood inevitably came with them. So we got scared and ran into town, buck naked, screaming and wailing to get the damn leeches off…" Kikyou was torn. On one end, she had this strong urge to laugh. On the other, a strong urge to grimace and attempt sympathizing. The first urge won. Kouga shot her an odd look as she laughed heartily.

"What?" she finally asked, a bit indignant.

"Nothin." He shrugged. "That's just the first time I think I've ever seen you laugh like that." Kikyou blushed and grew quiet. She could see why Kagome would like him…But wait—did she? She was not Kagome, and thus had no right. She could not help the fact that she was physically attracted to the blue-eyed man before her, nor could she help the lesser-known fact that she was growing more and more attracted to his mind—and his soul. But she still loved Inuyasha. She would always love Inuyasha. Her beautiful messenger boy with the soulful amber eyes and long, wild, black locks splayed down his back. She loved him, she loved him, she _loved him_, she chanted as a mantra in her mind. But there was one thought she couldn't keep from bouncing about her skull.

She loved him…right?

. . . . .

Kagome's eyes opened laboriously, and her lungs filled rhythmically with blesséd, sweet, belovéd oxygen. Yes! Air! She almost sat up, but a firm hand's pressure on her shoulder forced her back upon the cushy fabrics her body was haphazardly lying on. She worked her gaze up the obviously well-built arm and to the face of…that guy. Oh god, what was his name? Kagome fought the bleary haze of her senses to recall the name of the man handling her so gently. Um…Oh! Yes, that's it…

"Naraku?" she croaked out, startled by how weak and haggard her own voice was to her ears.

"Yes, Kikyou Dearest?" he asked, his thickly dark curled mane brushing against her arm as he leaned in closer. Closer, closer…What was he doing?!

"Urhm!" Kagome grunted in protest as she managed to scurry away from him to the other side of the very large, luxurious bed. "Wha-what were you doing?" she asked, only realizing she was being rude afterwards. He chuckled, which creeped her out mildly.

"I was smelling you," he replied. She stared at him, aghast. Smelling…her?

"Yes, well, could you please refrain from…smelling me in the future?" she said as politely as she could. He shook his head slightly, his long lashes lowering over his eyes, giving them more of a seductive gleam.

"I could never refrain from you, Kikyou Dearest," he told her seriously, but with a hint of a smirk on his face. Kagome realized for the first time that it had been there the whole time. Was he just trying to mess with her head, or was that how he always looked?

"What the heck did you do to me in my sleep?" she asked suddenly, unable to stop herself. He chuckled again, and stood.

"Nothing, my dear. You need rest. I expect to have the pleasure of your company for breakfast tomorrow morning." With that, he stood and exited the room in a noble flourish. Kagome sighed. Hopefully she wouldn't have to be the one to marry the guy…She suddenly felt very sorry for Kikyou. He was weird. Sure, he hadn't proven evil—yet—but marrying a weird guy that happened to be weird in the not cute-lovable-aww-how-weird sort of way was not a happy thing. She lifted her body from the bed reluctantly and stretched, taking her sweet time. Maybe she would search out the kitchens and grab a midnight snack. Some bread and cheese sounded pretty good right about then. That was when her eyes fell upon a piece of paper resting on her nightstand innocently. She picked it up, and began reading.

_You fainted at the sight of me,_

_I couldn't help but think, 'Wheee!'_

_You love me, I'm sure,_

_Your heart so pure.___

_Your eyes are pools of precious treasure,_

_Measure for Measure.___

_Your lips are priceless rubies,_

_They give me the oobies._

_I love you,_

_And I know…_

_You love me, too._

Suddenly, Kagome wished she'd never been literate. And what the heck were 'oobies', anyway? She shuddered at the many, many terrible possibilities that flitted through her mind. She would—could—never think of poetry in the same way again…Suddenly, the door burst open, and Inuyasha stood there, in all his cocky glory. Kagome's face immediately warped into a scowl on sight. He was gloating.

"So, _princess_, have a good nap?" he asked. She raised an eyebrow of speculation but otherwise made no move to acknowledge that he existed, let alone that he'd spoken. Before she could even contemplate hiding the offensive 'poem', Inuyasha had it in his hand and was reading it. How on earth was he so fast? He snorted trying to keep in a laugh, and eventually had to toss the poem aside to throw his head back and laugh properly at Kagome's misfortune. "Perfect! It's just perfect!" he bellowed. Kagome felt her face heat up in anger. "It couldn't have turned out better!" he told the ceiling with mirth. She couldn't hold it any longer.

"You jerk!" she screamed as she lunged at him, knocking him to the bed. "You planned this, didn't you? You knew I would faint! You _bastard_!" She began throwing wild punches at his head, most of which he either dodged or blocked. She leapt upon him, and, holding him in place with her thighs, kept up the barrage. Inuyasha just laughed, which infuriated her all the more. "You were never being nice to me, were you?!" she demanded heatedly as she popped him especially hard in the jaw. He caught her arms suddenly, so suddenly, she forgot to struggle until he'd gained the top position. He glared down at her, the mirth not completely gone from his expression. He held her wrists above her head, and no matter how much she fought, it was futile.

"Don't test me, wench," he told her, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of anger and mischief. "I can make your month here as miserable as I want."

"Bite me," Kagome snarled as she wiggled anew to get free. To her utter shock, he did. Right on her neck, under her jaw. She immediately stopped moving, not sure what to do as his teeth grazed her flesh just hard enough to hurt. His soft tongue touched her flesh briefly, sending a quick jolt through her system. What was he _doing?_

"Mm…Kikyou…" he muttered against her, snapping her out of whatever spell had been cast.

"Get off of me!" she yelled as she struggled with all her might. He seemed to snap out of it, too, for he obliged. He met her eyes briefly.

"You're not Kikyou. You'll never be," he ground out before leaving with quick, angry steps. Kagome was left, sprawled on the bed. How could Kikyou love a man like that? She touched the still moist and tingling flesh of her neck, and couldn't help the small shiver that scuttled along her spine at the memory of how he had felt against her. She briefly wondered what Kouga would be like in that situation.

Not like that.

. . . . .

Kikyou, Sango, and Miroku were all sat on the bridge across the stream, dangling their feet into the smoothly cold water. Kikyou couldn't keep herself from passing Sango meaningful glances and shooting Miroku looks of sympathy. That poor, poor boy had no idea what he was up against.

"I believe I'm growing cold," said boy told said girl as he sidled up to her, snuggling her cheek with his. Sango pushed him away furiously, blushing lightly.

"Don't touch me, lech," she warned through gritted teeth. Miroku raised his hands in a pacific manner.

"Sorry, Sango, I didn't mean to offend you. I was just showing my affection." She glared at him.

"Affection my ass. It's simple lust. That's all. That's all it ever will be…" She had turned away from Miroku and mumbled the last part. He was sure to not have caught it, but Kikyou did. She managed to catch Sango's eyes, and pleaded with her silently to tell the boy who so obviously would accept her no matter what. Sango merely glared at Kikyou, silently saying "Like hell." The Princess sighed, exasperated. Would Sango never get over her pride issue? That was when she caught the look deep within the girl's eyes. It was a far cry from a pride issue, Kikyou realized. Sango was truly, deeply shamed by her profession, and obviously had been all along. She didn't even want to know what she did every night, let alone tell her friends. All she wanted was to escape. Was to forget. And Miroku offered that, on some level, in his ignorance of the situation. Kikyou didn't know what to do. Sango had to get over her problem, and the only way she could think of involved informing Miroku, but said boy was Sango's escape from her problem, so telling him could backfire and ruin everything for the poor girl. What to do? _If only father were here_, Kikyou thought dejectedly. _He would know what to do_…

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I put the é's on beloved and blessed because without the accent mark, it could be pronounced differently, and if pronounced differently, it has a different effect. Agh! I've had _way_ too much exposure to the wiles of Shakespeare…Speaking of, I was thinking of doing an Inuyasha rendition of Othello. That would be really cool…Anyway…I spent extra time on this chapter, so I hope you all liked it! ^_^

Alright! I'm doin dedications on the bottom now, so I don't take so much room on the top! (I'm so wordy. Hehe.)

Dedications:

hehe: Oh yeah! I finally got to see that movie last week! It was funny. _Captain Jack Sparrow is now my hero. ^_^ Man, you were right on the ball when you said how Naraku would take the fainting! Ha! And you could always register __as 'hehe'. Anyway, thank you so much for your wonderfully consistent and encouraging reviews!_

cecily: Thank you very much! I hope that this fic continues to hold your interest!

duffi: To be completely honest with you, I've never _read_ The Prince and the Pauper, but I've seen countless renditions, and my parents told me the story when I was really little (I've even heard it in German! Not that I understood it, but…yeah…). You should read it so that you can point out all my errors! ^_^

Squishy (times 5!): SQUISHY! *glomps* Thank you for all your reviews! Wow! Yes, my eyes are lazy, and until recently have had no depth-perception, so I can't drive, because now they're crossed due to therapy…*growls* I also agree. Money is better than guys. Yes! Kikyou's dad is…er…not quite well. And I _do_ mow my lawn, thankyouverymuch! *hff* I don't have any brothers, but even then, I'd be the one mowing…Grrr…you make me so mad! You've just got this whole thing figured out, don't you? *glares* And I'll continue this one, but only cause I want to. Not cause you told me. *sticks tongue out* Thanks again for the multiple reviews!

Jamie2: I agree, it does feel weird. But I'll try to make it feel more natural as the story progresses. I hope it'll work…Thanks for the review!

Moonlit Meadow (times 2!): Hahaha! I know what you mean about Naraku…I never in my wildest dreams pictured him _nice_, and I have no idea how to make it so properly, but…I must try. ^_^ Yes! A critique! *hugs* I LOVE YOU! I did make Inuyasha a little mellower than he was in the original series, but he has not been betrayed by Kikyou (pinned to the tree, etc) in this fic. Also…He _is playing pranks on her. He's being rather stealthy about it. Sorry I didn't do a good job of making that clear in the last chapter. I tried to mend it in this one. Keep the character critique comin! I appreciate it _so much_, you have no idea!_

Thank you all again! I love you, and the readers who don't review, too. You all make my day!


	7. Something else

Okay, this chapter is basically a response to the reviewers who asked me to branch out into other points of view and to improve upon the relationships. So...here goes!

The Princess and the Pauperess

Chapter 7

Something else

Inuyasha's form slouched on his branch of choice with his thoughts. He had never known why he liked climbing trees so damn much, but he did, always had, and probably always would. He picked at a loose piece of bark next to his head absentmindedly as he tried to forget. But how could he, when his body would not allow him to? It told him that it was right, that he could get what he wanted, but what did he want? He did not know--couldn't possibly, through all the fray and confusion in his mind about the events of earlier that night. Had he wanted to do..._that_? And why had he done such a thing to that imposturous wench? One minute they were fighting, the next...what? What did this girl hold over him that could make him this way? She looked like Kikyou. So much like her. And when she'd said "bite me" in that low, challenging voice, she'd sounded like her as well. Damn, did he want her to be his Kikyou. He wanted to argue with her like he could with Kagome, he wanted to laugh at her--he wanted her to laugh at him. Most of all, he wanted to hold her. Just hold her and never stop. He wanted Kikyou to be accessible, like Kagome. Yes. Like Kagome. The sun was rising, soon his duties would start. And he hadn't gotten any sleep. Damn. It was all Kagome's fault, and she would pay.

Yes, revenge would be his.

. . . . .

Kouga was utterly shocked with himself. He would have thought that he'd have been counting the minutes--the seconds--until Kagome's nearly inevitable return. But he wasn't. Instead he was counting the seconds until Kikyou's next visit, waiting on baited breath for her stories, for her smile, for that feeling she so graciously left him with until next time. Yes, that flawless beauty that was Kikyou; that inner something that belied her inner fragility and need had drawn him in. Slowly, she'd caught him in her net, and it was up to her to let him free. He still loved Kagome, of course. That was not all for naught, but it was a separate kind of love. Like that between comrades--siblings.

"Kouga?" a voice asked, sounding fuzzy to his still partially tuned-out mind. "Kouga, are you alright?" The voice was clearer now, and most certainly belonged to Kikyou. He turned to her, smirking.

"Yeah. Sorry," he apologized simply, not bothering to explain. He didn't miss the way her countenance changed when his attention was turned on her. She took a most attractively uncomfortable posture, and refrained from biting her lip as her cheeks pinkened slightly. He grinned a little more. "So, princess, got any good stories for me today?" he asked.

"That's have," she stated, settling in fully by his side. Where she belong--well, he wouldn't quite go that far.

"Have," he muttered. She corrected his grammar on occasion, which had started out highly agitating, but had become most rewarding. Lord knew he needed grammar lessons.

"I have something to ask you," she started slowly, and he knew: there would be no story today.

"Okay..." he prodded gently. She nibbled her fingernail, something Kagome did also, and pieced her thoughts together. Something was obviously bothering her.

"Well, what do you think of...prostitutes?" she asked. He blanched.

"You haven't become one or anything...?" he half joked. She half laughed.

"No, no. I was just wondering. As people, what do you think of them?" He thought on this. It was pretty hard to just lump them all into the same category like that.

"I've known a few in my life, and for the most part, they were pretty bitchy," he replied honestly, "but some of them are really good deep down." Kikyou nodded, for some reason seeming to take great heed of his word. He puzzled over this, but chose not to question her.

"I met a prostitute the other day, and she is a very kind, smart girl, but she is terribly mean to any boy who shows interest..."

"Understandable."

"Well, there's a boy that likes her, and, in fact, I think he's in love with her, but..."

"She won't hear it, right? She always pushes him away, no matter what he does?"

"Yes."

"Sango and Miroku?"

"Yes." She hung her head as if the very thought of telling him shamed her, as if she were committing some great wrong against humanity.

"What do you wanna do about it?" He asked her, his way of saying that her confidence was safe in him, and he would help her if he could. Her gaze snapped to his immediately.

"Well..."

. . . . .

Miroku stepped through the rickety wooden door and immediately his legs were showered in hugs from his three children. Two boys and a girl. His wife stepped into the room holding their fourth child still within her growing womb. She smiled brightly and he made his laborious way to kiss her, the children clinging to his legs in merriment. Their lips met, but he didn't feel it. She was telling him something. Something...

"Miroku! Miroku you lazy ass, get up!"

He sat up straight like a shot, his eyes flung wide, in full view of Kouga's and Kago--Kikyou's forms looming above him. He rubbed his eyes, and Kouga spoke.

"That must've been some dream, man, you wouldn't wake up," he informed him. Kikyou nodded. Miroku still wasn't quite sure what he thought of the princess. She was very inquisitive, in an innocent sort of way, but she spent much of her time listening, and not very much talking. Around him, anyway. He shot Kouga a meaningful look that was, as expected, totally lost on him. He wasn't a mind-reader, after all.

"We have to tell you something," Kikyou said solemnly, her voice causing him to start. Kouga nodded and sat next to Miroku, ushering Kikyou to sit also.

"We know you love Sango." Miroku shot Kouga a look, but he ignored it. "We also know why she refuses you." That got his attention. Kikyou sighed and fidgeted. Kouga turned to her, and she looked back at him. They exchanged words with their eyes, and the princess seemed more at ease.

"You see...she's a prostitute." Miroku flinched. What? His innocent, lovely, man-hating Sango a prostitute? Was that possible? He clenched his fists. He would _kill_ whoever was responsible for that. She probably felt so dirty...

"Where...where is she?" His voice clenched with his words, and he didn't know why.

"Who?" the two asked in unison.

"The mother of Sango's house. I want to rip her apart with my fucking bare hands." Kouga and Kikyou exchanged shocked looks. Apparently they hadn't been expecting that reaction. Before they could stop him, he was on his feet and running. He would find that woman, and she would have more than a piece of his mind.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Okay! Wow! Lots of PoV changes in this chapter! ^-^; I'm really glad I did it, though. Hope it wasn't too confusing. And no, it wasn't all meant to be serious, so if you laughed, don't feel guilty, it was appropriate. I am so proud of myself; I managed to keep this chapter tied in with the rest of everything, and the plot actually moved forward despite the PoV interlude! Yess! So, I hope this chapter cleared some stuff up. For example, why Inuyasha did what he did, what Miroku thinks of Kikyou, etc. And eight days have passed since the two girls switched. I'm sure I made some reference to the amount of time somewhere, but I was beginning to wonder, so I thought I'd write it down before I forgot. ^_^ Anyway, dedications!

Keolla: Hey! I'm glad you like the story, and I'm very glad that Naraku's poem cracked you up! You're right, Inuyasha is an evil bastard, and I'm afraid he doesn't get better very fast in this story. Also, I took your comment about the character development being distant to heart (because it is distant), and I'm trying to fix that. Please tell me if I'm succeeding (characters are my main weakness!). Thank you for your review!

hehe: Yeah, I know! I've always liked Kikyou's character. I think she's very admirable. I'm glad you like my portrayal of her in this fic! I had a lot of trouble writing Naraku's poem, because when I thought of it, I had this really funny mental picture of him sitting there, all diabolical, writing this dumbassish little love poem, going 'kukuku' at the 'oobies' line. Anyway. I'm really glad you like this fic so much! ^_^ Thank you for your review!

darkqueen6: I'm glad you like it, and sorry the update wasn't exactly soon, but I tried!

Rogue Pryde: I can't wait till they start 'getting along' too! Thanks for your review!

Hapagirl21: Glad ya like it! ^_^ Thanks for your review!

Squishy: Yes, Kikyou and Kouga's relationship was going stagnant. I'm glad you mentioned it. I went back and reread my story, and other than the glaringly obvious typos/spelling errors/grammar mistakes, I was cringing at how flat their relationship with and how fast it did so. Thank you immensely for you honest review!

LadyJynjr (times 6!): Ohmygod! You reviewed every single chapter! *glomps* I love you!!!! ^____^ And don't worry, Kohaku will be in this, and Inuyasha will eventually bite Kagome knowing she's Kagome. Er...did I just say too much? Hehe...You caught the "Who's the bitch?" line! Yay! *skips around* Anyway, thank you for your six wonderful reviews! I'm glad you like the story enough to review it sequentially like that! ^_^ I hope this chapter was to your liking as well.

Moonlit Meadow: Wow! Very long review--I love it! I agree that the biting scene was off, but it needed to be in there sooner than would be 'normal' in a developing relationship. I hope I explained some of his not quite logical reasoning in this chapter. So, not quite a flashback, but he definitely wasn't all there. I would love to make Naraku absent-minded. Unfortunately, I can't, for another little subplot won't work if I do that. He will prove very conniving later on! ^-^  So, I used other PoV's in this chapter, and I kinda liked it, so I'll do it a little here and there from now on. The reason this chapter was _all_ from other PoV's was because a) I've been neglecting their insight for a very long time and needed to catch up, and b) there are so many PoV's that spreading it out, believe it or not, would make the story way way longer than the way I did it. So, yeah...Thank you so much for your honest, wonderful, long, great review! ^_^

*does a happy dance* I had so many reviews for this chapter! Yay! Thank you all so much, you have no idea how much this honest feedback helps shape my writing! ^_^ I think I may be getting into the flow of it, so the next chapter could be out sooner rather than later. Hopefully. *crosses fingers* 


	8. To kill

I edited this chapter! I actually went back and reread it (gasp), and found that I accidentally said 'cousin' instead of 'twin' at some point, so it is now 'twin', as it should be. Hopefully that will ease some confusion. ^_^

The Princess and the Pauperess

Chapter 8

To kill

Kagome awoke sluggishly, sleep still clinging to her consciousness. She yawned and sat up. Suddenly, a long stream of women came bustling into the room, carrying fabrics and other things with them. One of them reached into the armoire and pulled out a dress.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked slowly.

"You're having breakfast with Naraku, my lady, don't you remember?" one of the women asked. Kagome groaned and tried to go back to sleep, but the hoard wouldn't allow that.

"It's time to get up. You wouldn't want to keep him waiting, would you?" a younger girl asked politely.

"Yeah, yeah, alright…" she allowed them to drag her out of bed and get to work. It was strange and uncomfortable to be undressed, fussed over, and redressed and fussed over again by a gaggle of complete strangers, but Kagome made herself grin and bear it. After what only seemed a few minutes, they were done and shoving her in front of a mirror. She looked royal; richer than she'd ever looked before. She wasn't sure she liked it entirely. She also noticed, with a slight twitch to her eye, that the corset wasn't nearly as tight now as it had been when Inuyasha had so graciously tied it for her last time.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Princess Kikyou," the young girl said in a soft voice, "we were really worried about you." Several of the women nodded.

"Yes. You'd never refused our services before," an older woman added. The women filed out the door, and Kagome was left alone in her layers of clothing that looked good and felt opposite. Soon enough, Inuyasha barged into the room.

"Hey, wen--" he started, but cut himself off and stared at her unabashedly. She opened her mouth to speak, but he abruptly turned and left. What was his deal? She pouted and exited her room to wander in aimless search of the dining room.

. . . . .

Miroku barreled through the front door of the whorehouse and glared about at all the scantily clad females who stared back at him questioningly.

"Where's the mother of the house?" he asked, trying to keep the bite out of his words. All the girls continued to gawk at him, showing no signs of being helpful. One eunuch boy looked as if he might say something, but shuffled out of the room instead.

"Mi—Miroku?" someone asked, and he looked up the stairs. There she was. His lovely Sango dressed as all the other girls with that gaudy makeup all over her face. It filled his heart with anger. Anger at himself for never having noticed, anger at himself for never having cared enough to notice, anger at himself for treating her the way he had. And anger at her for never telling him. She sauntered down the stairs toward him, and he watched her. He'd never been this unsure of himself before. "Come on, Miroku, let's go outside," she said, and ignored the looks she received from the other girls. Miroku just followed her out the door and down the street. Once they were well away from the house, she turned on him, practically shoving him against the wall.

"San--" he started. She cut him off angrily.

"Save it. Are you trying to put me out on the street? Did you really think that would accomplish anything?" He stared into her livid eyes, and she stubbornly refused to break eye contact. "Did you really think you would help me by getting me kicked out of the house?" she asked, her voice strained.

"I don't know," he conceded. "I don't know what I was thinking. I was just so angry, I…I don't know."

Suddenly, she asked, "You're angry with me, aren't you?"

"What? Why would I be angry with you? I was mad at your mother, and at myself…" Her look softened a little at his words, allowing him to relax a bit.

"You…you don't think I'm disgusting?" she asked him slowly, disbelievingly.

"I could never think you're disgusting," he replied truthfully. To his surprise, she smiled and hugged him quickly.

Turning away, she said, "I have the best friend in the world." He grinned back.

"C'mon, let's go find the Princess," he offered. She shook her head.

"No, I have to get back to the house. We're doing some redistribution, and I need to be there to get my fair share…"

"Don't go back there. You can live with me, or Kouga. We'll support you, it--"

"I'm not supporting me," she said, effectively silencing him. "I'm doing this for my little brother, Kohaku."

"What?"

"He killed someone."

. . . . .

Kagome turned down another corridor. Her feet hurt from all the walking she'd been subjected to, thanks to Inuyasha's impromptu exit earlier that morning. It could have been afternoon by then, for all she knew. She stopped abruptly as she passed a door on which her unmistakable ribbon was tied.

"Damn, I knew I'd been down this corridor before!" she vociferated in frustration, stomping her foot.

"Can I help you, my lady?" a smooth, soft voice asked from behind her. She turned quickly and tried to act dignified. The boy bowed and looked to her with eyes as soft as his voice, if only a little bit vapid.

"Yes, um…have they moved the dining room? I can't find it…" she replied. The boy chuckled slightly.

"Come this way, my lady," he offered, motioning to the hallway to his right. She nodded and grabbed the ribbon from the door before following him. She tried to tie it back in her hair, but failed miserably and instead decided to tie it to her wrist. It looked unfortunately strange, but at least she wouldn't lose it.

"So, what's your name?" she finally asked to fill the silence. Surprisingly, she didn't receive an odd look for her question.

"Houjou," he answered. "I'm the new messenger."

"Oh. Nice to meet you, Houjou," Kagome replied. He blushed a little. So, the castle had a new messenger, huh? Wait…wasn't Inuyasha the messenger?

"What happened to Inuyasha?" she asked. She sincerely hoped he'd been fired. But, if that were the case, she would have no one who knew who she really was. It would get rather lonely.

"I think he got a new position. Something like personal aide or something. I don't really know. Well, here is the dining room. Enjoy your breakfast, Princess Kikyou." With a bow, the messenger boy was off, looking like he actually had a message to deliver, something Inuyasha had lacked in his messenging days. Kagome fought a chuckle as she opened the heavy door. Naraku was standing beside the set table, looking bored and (thankfully) like he'd just gotten there. His gaze turned to hers, and she didn't miss the smirk on his lips.

"Good morning, Kikyou dearest," he greeted her as he pulled a chair out--a gesture for her to sit. She sat.

"Good morning, Naraku," she replied, trying to sit in a ladylike fashion. Naraku seemed amused.

"We're eating late. I was hoping to speak to you about something, do you think we still could?" he asked her.

"Yeah, sur--yes, of course," she said.

"Good, good…" he seemed to be piecing together whatever it was in his mind to say carefully. It was taking an awfully long time. Abruptly, the door opened, and the King shuffled in, past the table, and into the kitchens, muttering something about wine in his drawers. Kagome and Naraku stared after him as he reentered the room from the kitchen, carrying a pitcher of wine. He stopped short as he noticed the two sitting at the table. He regarded them carefully for a few seconds before speaking.

"Who are you people?" he asked, pointing the wine pitcher at them. They exchanged looks.

"I'm your daughter. Remember?" Kagome tried.

"And I'm Lord Naraku from the North," Naraku said as if he got the 'who are you people' remark all the time.

"Oh, _you_ hooligans!" the old man exclaimed, once again pointing the wine in their direction.

"Um…yes?" Kagome replied nervously. The King nodded and shuffled off, slamming the heavy door behind him, muttering about wine in his drawers.

"Anyway…" Naraku started, shaking Kagome's attention from the door. "I want to know if you love me. I will not marry a woman who doesn't." Kagome squirmed for a second before responding.

"Are you serious?"

"No."

"Seriously?"

"No."

"Wait, be serious. Were you being serious?"

"Yes."

"About what?"

"Everything."

"Everything?"

"No."

"I'm confused…" said the servant as she served them their drinks. Kagome was too confounded to respond. The servant girl scuttled out the room and back into the kitchen.

"So, when you said that you wouldn't marry me if I didn't love you, you were being serious," Kagome tried to clarify.

"Yes." Naraku smiled.

"I don't." His smile didn't falter.

"I have a proposition for you," he told her, the smirk not entirely leaving his face.

"Okay," Kagome said.

"You help me marry my twin sister and I won't tell anyone you're not really the princess."

"W-what?" Her heart thumped audibly in her chest. "You want to marry your twin?"

"Yes. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Um…yes, actually…"

"The man I want to marry her to will be arriving soon. Within the next few days, and I've called for her presence as well. I think they would make a smart match."

"Wait…you're blackmailing me to marry your twin off to someone you think is smart?"

"Precisely."

"I'm confused," said the servant.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wah! I did something very bad! Let's keep it between you and me that I lost the original plot, okay? *nervous twitch* Just kidding, but in all seriousness, the plot _is_ turning out with more quirks than intended. Oh well, you'll be patient, right? *looks around* …

Dedications!

hehe: They are mad, indeed! I'm glad you liked last chapter. To tell you the truth, I was kinda worried about it. Anyway, I hope your essay went well and that you enjoyed this chapter, too! ^_^ A little less anger, but it's all good…

colly: Yes, that is the question! Will Inuyasha ever love Kagome for who she is? Can he just friggen forget about Kikyou? Thanks for your review!

Meisah: Thank you! *blushes* I'm not really that talented, just bored a lot, but thank you for the compliment! Sorry, I didn't get this chapter out very fast, but at least it's out, right? *hopeful eyes*

Kats02980416: Hey! Glad you like it so much! And I hope everything works out, too. ^_~

LadyJynjr: Yes…Inuyasha's _almost _figuring it out. So close. Haha! I annoy my parents with hyperness too. I'm glad you like this story! ^___^

Yay! Five reviews! *hops around* Woohoo!


	9. Aide

The Princess and the Pauperess  
Chapter 9  
Aide

Kikyou was sitting with Kouga by the stream's edge, counting their earnings for the day. She was really a very inept pickpocket, and was only redeemed by Kouga's patient guidance and occasional loan.

"Hey! Kagome!" a voice called suddenly. Instinctively, Kikyou looked up and scanned the area, her eyes resting on two small, boy-like figures in the distance.

"Who are they?" she asked Kouga, who furrowed his eyebrows trying to get a better look at the two.

"Looks like Souta and Shippou," he answered, pointing to each respectively. "They probably want more of Kagome's loving guidance. She was helping them learn to pickpocket, you know."

"Oh. Wait…_Souta_? I thought he died."

"Not Souta Kagome's brother, he did die. Souta Shippou's brother. It really used to bother Kagome that Shippou's brother had the same name, but now it doesn't seem to faze her."

"Oh. I wonder what it would be like for a family member to die…"

"No one in your family's ever died?"

"My mother, but she died giving birth to me, so I never knew her." Kouga nodded in understanding.

"Hey, Kag!" one of the boys called out. They were much closer now; close enough that she could see that one of the boys had a very distinguishing orange-red mop of hair, and the other had more auburn tresses pulled back in a neat ponytail.

"Oh my god, Kouga!" Kikyou exclaimed, grabbing onto his shirt in desperation. "I can't teach them how to pickpocket!" Kouga smirked.

"That would be highly amusing if you tried…"

"I can't. Why don't we tell them that I don't feel well?"

"Or I could teach them," he offered. The boys stopped a few feet away, panting for oxygen. Shippou managed to catch his breath first, and stepped toward Kikyou, shoving a folded piece of paper into her face.

"Here. The mean man said to give it to you," the boy said simply. Kikyou took the rich parchment and smelled of it. It smelled like home.

"Thank you," she said. As an afterthought she added, "And what did this mean man look like?"

"Well…" Shippou started, tapping his finger to his chin thoughtfully.

"He was tall," Souta chimed in.

"Yeah. And he had really long, girly black hair."

"Yep. And really weird golden eyes."

"And he called us brats and said to 'fucking give this to Kagome.'"

"Hey, I think that's enough," Kouga told them. The two fell silent, and all three males seemed to be waiting for something.

"What?" Kikyou asked.

"Aren't you gonna open it?" Shippou asked. Kikyou smiled.

"Alright." She carefully pried the unmistakable wax seal open and unfolded the paper.

_Dear "Kagome":  
Are you out of your fucking mind?! What the hell could have possessed you to trade places with the most annoying person alive? The least you could have done would have been to tell me first, so that stupid wench didn't have to break it to me. Why the hell did you abandon your sick father and me for a month? How many days has it been? Nine, ten, I don't know, it feels like years. I want you to write me back. I'll have the new messenger meet you on that road, okay? And don't you dare tell me to watch my fucking language when you write. God, you are such an idiot.  
Pissed off,  
Inuyasha_

Kikyou blinked. Well, that was…less than expected. And her father was sick? He had been in perfect health when she'd left. What was that about a new messenger? Inuyasha wasn't being overly rude to Kagome, was he?

"What did it say?" Shippou asked, hopping up and down in excitement. Kikyou looked to Kouga, who looked back.

"Who's it from?" he asked. She stared into his eyes for the longest time, willing herself to speak, to lie, to tell the truth, she didn't know.

"It's…it's from Kikyou, she says everything's going well," she said.

"Who's Kikyou?" Souta asked.

"Just an old friend," Kikyou answered. She shot Kouga an 'I'll explain later' look.

"Yeah," was all he said.

. . . . .

A servant rushed past Kagome, a large towel in his hands.

"What's going on?" she asked, bewildered. That was the third servant in two minutes.

"The king poured wine in his drawers," the servant answered before disappearing around a corner.

"Oh…" she blinked, then lifted her slip to sprint after the man. There was nothing better to do. She'd completely lost him, so for a while she was lost, but soon enough it was just a matter of following the commotion. She stepped through the open door of the king's room, transfixed by the liquid now staining his chest of drawers and the floor. She glanced toward the bed, and there he was, staring as if he were lost. She took a tentative step farther into the room, unsure of what to do. But she had to do _something_.

"Lady Kikyou, you need to leave," ordered a gruff voice. She glanced to the right of the king, and there was Inuyasha, kneeling, looking very tender toward the king, yet still vicious toward her.

"'Kikyou'?" the king scoffed. "That is not my Kikyou." Kagome cringed.

"Of course she's not, your majesty," Inuyasha said. "Why don't you lie down now?" He coaxed the man under his blankets and propped him up slightly with his pillows. "There. I have business to attend to, your majesty." Inuyasha bowed to the king and swiftly ushered Kagome from the room.

"What do you think you're doing, butting into business that doesn't concern you?" he snarled in her ear as they made their quick way down the hall. Once they were safely in a more secluded area of the castle, he gripped her arms painfully and pinned her to the wall.

"Ow!" she protested, and tried to squirm, but it was no good.

"You listen to me," he started, gripping her arms even tighter.

"Stop it!" she vociferated. "You're hurting me!" He shoved a hand over her mouth to silence her, inevitably freeing one of her arms. She took the opportunity, and her hand shot up, popping him in the nose. He backed off enough for her to push away. Once she was free, she reeled back and slapped him hard. So hard that spots of blood appeared on his cheek. He stared at her, stunned for a second.

"I thought I would escape abusive pigs here. I guess I was wrong," she told him, turning on her heel and stalking off. "Oh, yes." She stopped and faced him once more. "Don't you ever touch me again."

"Why don't you just go home, you violent cow?!" Inuyasha called after her. She smirked, though he couldn't see, and flipped him a birdie over her shoulder nonchalantly. "I'll have my revenge!" he yelled as she rounded the corner. Oh, yeah right. What kind of revenge could he possibly exact?

. . . . .

 Kikyou frowned as she folded her letters. She'd written Inuyasha back per request, and also written Kagome. She really hoped the girl could read. She carefully tucked both away in her dress and slipped into the "shoes," preparing to leave the house. She'd assumed that when Inuyasha had told her to meet the new messenger, he'd meant that evening.

"Where you goin'?" Kagome's father asked as he lumbered toward her from the bedroom. Kikyou stiffened. He'd been asleep.

"Um…I was just going out for another run, that's all," she tried, a smile twitching her lips briefly. "Didn't get much the last time around."

"I know what yer really doin'," he informed her, stepping closer. She stepped back.

"W-what?" she replied. She was afraid to stay, but as she looked back at the door, she was afraid to run.

"You've been sav'n up. Steal'n fer yerself," he told her.

"What? No…" Kagome hadn't told her anything about that. Was it true?

"You ungrateful bitch!" he yelled as he launched himself at her. She dodged, and, by some freak chance, he caught the front of her dress. He picked her up by her collar, giving her a little shake. "I'm gonna teach you a lesson," he decided as he pulled his fist back. Kikyou knew he would aim for her head. She closed her eyes. The man laughed. "Closin' yer eyes won't help, K'gome." She cracked one eye open, her vision immediately landing on his cold smirk. "One…" he counted. _Oh god…_ "Two…" _Kouga…_ "Three!" Kikyou screamed, and a hideous cracking sound filled her ears. Suddenly, she was dropped to the floor, gasping for air. Someone howled, in pain she was sure, causing her eyes to snap open. Kagome's father knelt on one knee, trying to cradle an obviously broken arm, and Kouga stood over him, fiery hot anger crackling about his form.

"Kouga," she whispered. He turned to her, his anger not dissipating in the slightest. It frightened her slightly.

"I'm going to kill him," he told her. Kagome's father whimpered as Kouga gripped his head.

"Kouga, No!" Kikyou cried, trying to rise to her feet. She scrambled toward him, but the bloodlust was insatiable. Before she could gasp, a gurgling crunch resounded. "Oh my god…" she gasped out. The body slopped to the ground. "You…what did…" Kouga stared unblinkingly at his hands.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Whoa! What a weird chapter. It was a little darker than usual. I think that's due in part to how I felt while writing it, but this turn of events had to come sometime…More humor next chapter, I promise! The whole of Kagome's part was written while still under the influence of anesthetics, so that's why it's weird and disjointed. I thought about rewriting it, but then I decided that since it gets the point across, it's not really worth it. So…my face is currently so swollen that I greatly resemble a chipmunk, and I've been licking at this strawberry jello snack-pack for about an hour now. Basically, I feel like shit, since I have a cold, and there are large, gaping wounds in my mouth.

Dedications!

M 'n' Ms (times 2!): I like this new penname! I'm glad you liked chapter 7, and I'm sorry about not being able to do the absent-minded Naraku! Maybe next fic. ^_~  Yes, the "confrontation" did fall very flat. I didn't realize until after you'd pointed it out and I reread it. Perhaps I'll rewrite it, I don't know. You see, it actually kind of works, because Sango's probably been wanting someone to accept her despite everything for a long time, and…Yeah, it still fell flat. ^__^ Teehee…Thanks for your awesome honest reviews! They help me out so much!

LewdaKris: Yay! Thank you for all the compliments *blush*. And Sango's little story is so sad! I'm glad you like this story, and I hope it continues to be interesting.

hehe (times 2!): I'm glad that you liked the last chapter, and your original review for chapter 8 appeared after you wrote the second. Weird…Anyway, I have not read "Big Buttocks," but if you say it's good, then I'll definitely give it a try! Thank you for complimenting my Naraku portrayal! I've never done his character before, let alone like this.

Pori-Pori: Yeah, the traditional Kikyou character is a ditzy slut bitch, but I really think that's changing! Thank you for the wonderful review! *looks around* Inu/Kag, Kik/Kou, Mir/San forever! *waves flag* It's not like I just gave away my pairing tendencies or anthing…-_-;

Shelby37: Hey! I'm glad you like this story! I don't think I ever clearly stated who Inuyasha is aiding, or what his aide duties are, but I will soon!

Meisah: Yes, that would be funny if he were Kagome's aide! Teehee! And thank you for understanding about the unpleasantries that keep us authors from updating at maximum speed!

Miko Ariko-901: Yes, it was confusing. For more than one reason, unfortunately…I messed up on the wording in one of the sentences. When Kagome says "Wait…you're blackmailing me to marry your cousin off to someone you think is smart?" 'cousin' should be 'twin'. I hope that helps with the confusion a little.

Kats02980416: Yes, I will definitely explain Inuyasha's position soon! Probably in the next couple of chapters. Thanks for your review!

WOW! I got so many reviews! *swoons* Thank you all for reading!


	10. Letters

The Princess and the Pauperess

Chapter 10  
Letters

Kagome sat at the large desk in Kikyou's room with a sheet of paper and a very fancy quill pen. She had to get in touch with Kikyou somehow. She had to tell Kikyou that her father was sick and that she did not have to marry Naraku. If only she knew how to spell…

"Here goes," she said as she dipped the pen in its ink.

_Kikyo__,__  
This is Kagome, I just thougt I should tell you some things. Your father is sick. He's been doing a lot of wierd things lately. Also, Naraku doesn't really want to marry you, so you're safe, but he somehow figured out that I wasn't you, and is black-mailing me. He is really wierd. Anyway, on a little side note, Inuyasha is really mean, what can you possibly see in him? I mean, I'll give you good looking, but that minus zero personality! And he promised to exact revenge on me. Is he the vengeful sort, or is he all bark and no bite? Please rite back and tell me how everything is going there!  
With love,  
Kagome_

There, that should do it. She folded the paper carefully and sealed it sloppily before scribbling her own name on the front.

"Lady Kikyou," a soft voice called from the doorway. Kagome snapped her head in that direction.

"Yes?" she replied, standing to face the messenger boy, who bowed before speaking again.

"Lord Naraku wishes your presence in the Great Hall," he told her.

"Where is that?" she asked before she could stop herself. "I—I mean, I, uh, haven't been down there in so long I think I've forgotten," she tried for the save.

"Of course. I would escort you, but I'm afraid I have urgent business to attend to…" he glanced down the hallway to his left and right before spying someone to help. "Mr. Inuyasha!" he called. Kagome groaned. Inuyasha, of all people?

"What do you want, maggot?" she heard the muffled reply. Houjou just smiled as if he hadn't heard the insult.

"Lady Kikyou needs an escort to the Great Hall, and I am currently unable," the blond boy replied.

"Whatever." She heard his footsteps coming toward the doorway, and quickly shoved the letter into Houjou's hand.

"Lady Kikyou?" he questioned.

"Please deliver this to Kagome in town."

"Of course." He bowed and Inuyasha took his place in the doorway.

"Come on, you stupid wench," he said as he began walking down the hallway. She moved in step behind him.

"How is the king doing?" she asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I think he's dying," Inuyasha told her.

"What?" Kagome gasped out. "Dying?" He smirked at her over his shoulder.

"Who was the letter for? I didn't know you could write."

"It was for Kouga, my fiancé," she lied. He turned to her slightly, shooting her a look.

"You have a fiancé? So what about Naraku, then?"

"He's nice. Weird, but nice."

"So which are you going to marry?" he asked.

"What's it to you?" she retorted before sighing. "I'll marry Kouga, and be free forever." She grinned stupidly, and Inuyasha shot her a disgusted look.

"Ew, you're not in love with him or anything?" They turned a corner and continued walking. Really, how far could the Great Hall be?

"Maybe," she replied. "But my love life has nothing to do with you."

"Fair enough." They stopped at a set of double doors. "The Great Hall, _princess_." He opened the door for her and she stepped through. He closed the door.

"Ah, Kikyou Dearest!" Naraku called, striding over to Kagome. She smiled.

"Naraku Honey," she joked, earning a smirk. "Have they arrived?" she asked, referring to his twin and her suitor.

"Yes," he replied. "They're being settled in, and were told to meet me here once they were finished unpacking and changing." Kagome nodded, then jumped as the door was jerked open. There, in the doorway, stood the most beautiful (not to mention tallest) woman Kagome had ever seen. The woman merely stared at her in monotone, no expression creasing that perfect face.

"Nice to meet you," she stuttered out, bowing clumsily. "I am Kikyou."

"Your hospitality is appreciated," the woman replied in a deep baritone. Weird…

"Kikyou Dearest, this is Lord Sesshoumaru of the West," Naraku introduced the man. Kagome bowed again.

"Naraku, what are you trying to pull?" Sesshoumaru snarled out, causing shivers to run up and down Kagome's spine. "I saw _her_. That annoying wench you call a sister. I thought I was coming to convince this lady's father to give consent of marriage." Kagome blinked at Sesshoumaru, then at Naraku in turn.

"You lied?" she asked the latter. He rolled his eyes, and Sesshoumaru glared.

"You!" an accusatory voice yelled from across the room. Everyone turned their attention to the other set of doors. There stood a stunningly beautiful woman, angrily pointing a finger at one of them.

"Bitch," Sesshoumaru greeted her calmly.

"Kikyou Dearest, my twin sister, Kagura," Naraku introduced them.

. . . . .

Houjou traipsed down the dusty road, whistling to himself. Being a messenger boy was fun! He spied a squirrel in a tree along the way, and cooed at it.

"Oh, little squirrel! Little squirrel!" Apparently, he was supposed to be meeting a woman named Kagome at the fork in the road. The squirrel scuttled away, and he gazed on ahead. He could see the fork, and someone standing there. They turned and saw him and began trotting up to meet him.

"Hello, are you Kagome?" he asked them. The person shook their head.

"No, I'm a friend of Kagome's. Something came up, so she told me to pick up her messages for her."

"Oh, alright." He handed the woman the letter from Lady Kikyou, and she handed him two separate letters, one to Lady Kikyou, and the other to Mr. Inuyasha. He carefully tucked the messages away in his bag and bowed to the woman.

"May I ask what business is keeping Kagome?" he asked her. She shot him a look.

"Her father has died, not more than an hour ago," she replied.

"Oh, please send her my condolences."

"Thank you, I will." She bowed and began walking back toward town. The squirrel ran out on a limb and began chattering to Houjou.

"Hi, little squirrel!" he greeted it. "Oh, little, little squirr-el!"

. . . . .

Kagome sat on the counter in the kitchen, munching on her cheese and bread. Naraku hadn't told her that Sesshoumaru and Kagura hated each other with a vehement passion. The meeting had been a disaster, with both parties throwing random insults at each other before storming (or walking stolidly) out their respective doors, leaving Naraku and Kagome to come up with a grand master plan of action, which probably wouldn't work, either. She sighed into the piece of bread in her hand and shifted her position. Being a princess wasn't what she'd thought it would be at all.

"Lady Kikyou?" a voice asked from the darkened doorway.

"Yes?" she answered, walking toward the voice.

"Oh, good! It took me forever to find you!" It was Houjou.

"I'm sorry, Houjou," she apologized, smiling at him.

"It isn't a problem. Here, this came for you today, from one 'Kagome'."

"Oh! Thank you!" She grabbed the letter from him, beaming. Now she would know what was going on in town, how her father was, how Kouga was, how Miroku and Sango were doing…

"Have a good evening," Houjou bowed before ducking out the door.

"Hey, wait!" Kagome called. He reappeared eagerly. "Could you…keep me company? Or are you busy—I bet you're busy…"

"No, I'm not busy. I would love to keep you company, Lady Kikyou." Kagome smiled and Houjou smiled back.

"I was just having a bit of bread and cheese, would you like some?" she asked, making her way to her counter spot again. She plopped herself down and motioned for him to sit beside her. He blushed and did so, taking the piece of bread she offered him. "What's it like, being a messenger?" she asked.

"It's a lot of fun," he replied. "I'm always on the move, talking to people, carrying messages, and other stuff."

"Inuyasha didn't do a lot when he was the messenger," Kagome noted.

"No, he didn't. That's why he's the King's personal aide now, it's a job better suited for him, since he hated being the messenger."

"Oh. And how is the king?" she asked tentatively, taking a bite of her bread. Houjou shrugged.

"As far as I know he's just suffering from memory loss and sleepwalking episodes, I don't think he's dying or anything." Kagome smiled, relieved. Suddenly, the door burst open and an angry looking Kagura stalked toward the two.

"Messenger boy," she said in an authoritative voice.

"Yes, Lady Kagura?" Houjou replied, standing and bowing all in one motion.

"I would like you to personally deliver a message to Sesshoumaru, Mr. I-Am-God," she told him.

"Yes, Lady Kagura."

"Tell him that if I so much as see him in the duration of my stay at this castle, I will teach his daughter every curse word known to mankind. I know where she sleeps." With that, she turned and stalked back out, cursing under her breath. Houjou turned to Kagome and bowed.

"I must be going," he said, and left. Kagome inched closer to the flickering candlelight and opened the letter.

_Kagome,  
I hope all is well on your end of the deal. Unfortunately, all is not well here. Your father has been killed by Kouga. It's really not Kouga's fault, he was protecting me, you see, but…He's in custody now. And Sango's brother apparently has killed someone as well. His name is Kohaku, and supposedly he's bound to a life of servitude under Lord Naraku. I think it was Naraku, anyway. Kagome, I'm sorry, but I think I may be in love with Kouga. I'm going to try to save him—he's scheduled to be executed before the month is out. We need to switch back soon so that I can take care of this mess properly. Please tell me that you aren't mad at me for falling in love with your fiancé. I'm sorry about your father, but he deserved death long before I came along.  
Sincerely,  
Kikyou_

"Oh crap," Kagome said. "I spelled Kikyou wrong."

. . . . .

Inuyasha reclined in his bed, reading the letter he'd received from Kikyou by candlelight.

_Dearest Inuyasha,  
I hope you aren't being too overly mean to Kagome. She's a sweet girl, you should give her a chance. And who knows, maybe in time you'll come to see that she is better for you than I ever was. What I mean to say is, I met someone here. He's a good man. I don't know if it could ever work between Kouga and me, but I'm tired of doing what is expected of me. I'm sorry, Inuyasha, you have to understand that we never really had anything other than understanding and a bit of lust. How is Father? Is he very ill? I have requested to switch back with Kagome to resolve the mess we've made of things properly, but I do not want to come back. I do not want to take the crown. You must understand, Inuyasha, I love you. You will always hold a special place in my heart, but no one could ever be the same to me as Kouga.  
Love,  
Kikyou_

Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes. He should be angry, he should be crushed, anything but…relieved. He couldn't be sure when he'd fallen out of love with Kikyou, but it had happened. He still felt empty. His eyes snapped open when the door swung open, revealing a little girl.

"Hi, I'm Rin!" she told him. He stared at her. Wasn't that…Lord Sesshoumaru's kid? "I learned a word today, do you wanna hear it?" she asked him. He nodded his head slightly. "Fuck!" she exclaimed, causing Inuyasha to bang his head on the wall falling backwards.

"Where did you--?" he started, but she cut him off.

"Wanna know how to use it?" she asked excitedly. He merely stared. "Fuck off you womanish pussy!" she vociferated proudly, and Inuyasha found his jaw dropping. Kagura then sauntered into the room, grabbing Rin by the hand and walking her out of the room.

"Come on, Rin, let's not bug Inuyasha. We need to continue your lessons so you can impress your daddy," she told the little girl as she closed the door behind them.

"Yay! I love my daddy!" he heard Rin announce to the hallway. Inuyasha sighed. How long would the feud between Kagura and Sesshoumaru last?

"Bitch!" a little, faraway voice said. Inuyasha cringed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Alright, kind of a weird, forced out chapter this time, but whatever.

Dedications:

Meisah: Are you feeling better after having your teeth out? And yes, I do love anesthetics! ^_^ They are a wonderful, trippy thing.

Kats02980416: I agree, Inuyasha is being a total asshole, but hopefully Kikyou's note will change some things!

Squishy (times 3!): Yay! I'm glad that you recognized that I'm working on my writer flaws! Oh, hahaha! You choked on your eyeballs? And don't be dissin "Eh?"! It is a very deep story with lots of symbolism. Lots and lots of symbolism.

M 'n' Ms: Yes, you're right. Inuyasha is not vengeful in nature. He's really (as you said, scarily enough) a nice guy. So note, has he ever really gotten any revenge? Sure he's done a couple of mean things, but he hasn't ever exacted revenge. ^_^ He's just barking. Thank you for noticing that! And, most importantly, for being willing to point out errors that you notice. I'm so glad to have you around!!! ^___^ (Am I scaring you yet?) I think that you'll  make a great editor. I personally wouldn't be able to stand editing things all day long as a job (I have edited things for people before, but…I dunno, making a _career_ of it. You must be very patient).

Yay! I got reviews!! *does the happy kabob dance*


	11. Convincing my heart

Because it's been so long since my last update…  
**Recap of Chapter 10!**  
Kagome writes Kikyou, and Kikyou writes both Inuyasha and Kagome, telling them of her newfound love for Kouga and asking for Kagome's help in freeing Sango's brother, Kohaku. Naraku and Kagome try unsuccessfully to match-make for Sesshoumaru and Kagura. Kagura teaches Rin to cuss and freaks Inuyasha out.  
There! I hope that's sufficient! If you didn't think Chapter 10 was that shallow, go back and read it.

The Princess and the Pauperess  
Chapter 11  
Convincing my heart

_My father is dead, my father is dead, my father is dead…_Kagome flopped down on the bed and buried her face into an ungodly soft pillow. She was only in her slip again, because it was a bit hot. She didn't know what to feel. He couldn't get to her anymore, but he was her father. And Kouga had killed him to protect Kikyou--his new love, it seemed. She had nothing to return to, but nothing to stay for, either. For just a second she had a terrible feeling of being in limbo. A knock at the door and a "Kikyou Dearest!" coo (that would have been insulting had it not been Naraku) broke her mood, and she bade him enter.

"My, Kikyou Dearest, what's the matter?" he asked, moving to the bedside. Kagome shook her head, still enjoying the feel of the pillow all around her face. He stroked her hair in that weird, touchy-feely way of his, and reminded her of their grand master plan. She rolled over and sat up. He sat beside her, seemingly oblivious to her lack of dress.

"Naraku, do you have a servant named Kohaku?" she asked randomly. He looked at her oddly.

"Where did you hear about him?" he asked. She twiddled her thumbs.

"Um…from a friend of mine. She's his sister."

"Oh really."

"I don't really know much about the situation, but the real Kikyou asked me to ask you to release him."

"Okay…" He stared at her blankly, she stared back.

"So, could you please release Kohaku?" Kagome finished.

"Who?" Naraku retorted.

"Don't be difficult!"

"I'll be difficult if I want."

"Will you?"

"Yes." He stood. "You only have to do one simple thing to gain Kohaku's freedom," he told her.

"Okay. What is it?" She stood eagerly, and he grinned widely at her.

. . . . .

Kikyou couldn't help it--she was crying. Princesses didn't cry, but currently, she was not a princess. She laced her fingers with Kouga's through the bars, hoping that would ease the flow of her tears. It made them more fervent.

"I'm sorry," Kouga said for the hundredth time. Kikyou smiled.

"I'll get you out of here. I just need to trade back with Kagome." He nodded with her words. He didn't look particularly angry or upset that he was on the executioner's wait list, and that made Kikyou wonder if he was still in shock over having killed Kagome's father.

"Kikyou," he suddenly said seriously, his voice deeper than usual. "I need to tell you something."

"Oh no, not one of those 'before I die, you should know' speeches! You're _not_ going to die!" She glared at him, hoping that would help somehow.

"You moron." He grinned. "I need to tell you that I love you. I want to tell you that every day for the rest of our lives."

"Oh, Kouga!" She tried to hug him through the bars, but it didn't work very well. She wound up smashing both her and Kouga's heads into the bars.

"Ow," he complained, rubbing his head. "What are you trying to do, kill me?" Kikyou smiled sheepishly. Suddenly, the guard burst through the hallway door, two people in tow.

"Ki--Kagome!" one of them called, rushing past the guard, waving some sort of paper. It was Sango. "You got letters from, um, Kikyou and…Inuyasha?" She held the sealed letters out for Kikyou to take, and she did, gingerly. She opened the one from Kagome first, and skimmed through it quickly. Her father wasn't dying, Inuyasha was still a jackass, and Kohaku was in the process of gaining his freedom. Everything seemed in order, except Kagome had forgotten to set a time for their switching back. Really, what could possibly be going on that could have caused her to forget?

"So?" Sango piped up. Kikyou smiled.

"Kohaku will have his freedom," she said, and Sango's face broke into the brightest smile Kikyou had seen to date.

"I'm free," she noted to no one in particular. She then turned to Miroku. "Miroku, I'm rich! I can buy a farm, and raise a family…"

"You want to raise a family?" Miroku asked.

"Well, sure," Sango replied. Kikyou rolled her eyes at that.

"Would you…want to raise a family with, with someone like me?" Miroku asked hopefully, grasping Sango's hand in both of his. Kikyou turned away from the scene as much as possible and opened the letter from Inuyasha. To her utter shock, it was just a two page rant about Kagome, and how annoying she was, and how she was trying to seduce Naraku for his wealth, and how it was hilarious when she blushed clear down to her chest. Kikyou sighed and chose not to dignify his "letter" with a reply. If he was so infatuated with the girl, he should tell _her_, not write a stupid rant to Kikyou. Suddenly, the guard, who, to Kikyou's shock, had been there the whole time, cleared his throat in an unnecessarily juicy way.

"Ew," Sango noted before she could stop herself.

"You're scheduled for next week," he told Kouga, and sauntered down the hall, closing the door after himself. Everyone stared in shock.

. . . . .

Kagome tried to stop her nervous fidgeting as she moved to intercept Sesshoumaru in the hall. Hopefully he would play along…

"What do you want?" he demanded, noticing her blocking his path and staring at him expectantly.

"Um…I just…Could you help me with something?" she practically choked out.

"That depends on what you need help with," he replied matter-of-factly. She sighed in what she hoped was a dramatic, lovesick way.

"I'm having problems with Naraku. He doesn't want to marry me. He says there's another princess that he would rather marry, but, you see, I love him, and there's absolutely no economical reason why he shouldn't marry me anyway…"

"Is this going anywhere?" Sesshoumaru asked impatiently. Kagome forced herself not to shoot him a sour glare.

"Yes, actually. I want you to help me make him jealous."

"How could I do that? You said yourself, he doesn't want to marry you--"

"That's what he says, but I think he may have some feelings for me, too. If only he could experience a little jealousy to get his heart in the right place."

"You don't make any sense."

"Neither does love." She clasped her hands together and sighed.

"Oh, god."

"What?"

"Will you leave me alone if I help you?" he asked. She nodded vigorously. "Okay then." He sighed in an exasperated manner. "What do I do?" She made a point of catching something down the hall, behind Sesshoumaru. He started to turn due to her fervent stare, but she stopped him.

"Don't turn around! It's him!" she whispered. He raised an eyebrow at her girlish behavior, but said nothing. "Okay, kiss me, then he'll be insanely jealous and we'll get married!"

"You don't make any sense at all," he noted, but began to coldly comply with her request.

"You have to look like you mean it, or it won't work!" she hissed urgently.

"Fine." She suddenly found herself pinned against the wall, her mouth smothered by his. She gasped in, having not expected the sensation. She forced her stiffened body to relax and melt into his, and the kiss grew deeper. Suddenly, they were pulled apart, and a terrible slap resounded as Kagura's hand made contact with Sesshoumaru's face. One look at her expression and Kagome knew that the woman was terribly jealous.

"You stupid wench!" Sesshoumaru exclaimed. "What's wrong with you?"

"You kissing her, that's what's--"

"At least I didn't go so low as to teach your only daughter how to curse."

"At least I didn't shave your eyebrows off while you were sleeping!"

"That happened when we were kids, Kagura."

"We still act the same, Sesshoumaru." Their tones had changed. Subtly, but a definite change. Kagome glanced at Naraku, who was beaming. According to him, it seemed to be working. She carefully unstuck herself from the wall and moved to stand beside Naraku. Sesshoumaru's and Kagura's voices had lowered enough that they were difficult to hear. Suddenly, they began walking away, still talking in low, secretive voices.

"Did it work?" Kagome asked Naraku quietly. "It sounded kinda like it did, but I don't know them very well."

"Yes. It worked like a charm. Thank you, Kikyou Dearest."

"I'm glad." She smiled and he patted her cheek before sauntering off in the same direction the two had gone.

"I have some follow-up to attend to," he told her over his shoulder. He turned a corner, and was gone. Kagome hated to admit it, but he was really growing on her. He was almost like the big brother she'd never had.

"Hey, Kagome!" someone suddenly called from behind. She whirled around a little too quickly, not expecting to hear her real name, and almost fell. Inuyasha laughed at her misfortune, as usual.

"What?" she asked after regaining a semblance of composure.

"You're actually wearing clothes," he noted as he leaned against the wall beside her.

"No, now I'm actually wearing an ungodly amount of clothes," she corrected him.

"I'm glad I'm not a woman," he commented. "I would go crazy having to wear all those layers."

"Are you sure? You would look very…ladylike in a dress." He smirked at her retort.

"Bite me."

"Don't tempt me."

"So, when are you switching back with Kikyou?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh, shit! I knew I forgot something!"

"You moron."

"Oh, I hope it isn't too late already." She started a quick march for her room, wherever that was.

"Where are you going?" Inuyasha asked, matching pace.

"My room." Without a word, he turned her in the right direction. She shot him a look, not exactly sure what kind of look it was, but not caring.

"What would you be too late for?" he piped up suddenly.

"Kouga's execution. That's the real reason why we're switching back, I think."

"Kouga…isn't that your little lover boy? But wait. Isn't he with Kikyou now?"

"Yeah. I don't care," Kagome responded. "I mean, I don't have anywhere to live anymore, but…"

"Why not?"

"My father is dead." She felt tears prick her eyes for the first time, but brushed them away before hurrying into her room. Why would the death of her father suddenly want to make her cry? _He may have been a jackass, but he was still my father. I still…I still loved him. _A sudden sob escaped her throat, and she tried to quiet it, but it was followed by another, deeper. Inuyasha led her gently to her bed and she sat down.

"You should rest," he told her. She bit her lip, still trying to keep the tears at bay. She abruptly launched herself at him, and he caught her in his strong arms. "Kagome, let go," he ordered. She shook her head vigorously. He sighed and sat on the bed, allowing her to curl up beside him, her head still buried in his chest. She just wanted to cry. She needed comfort, and Inuyasha happened to be right there. Soon enough, she was drifting off to sleep, hoping that he wouldn't leave.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Well, another not-quite-timely chapter! I would say that I'm sorry for the lack in updates, only this time, I'm not. I needed to crack down and do all that make up work and study for my finals. And I did. Ho, ho. So, um, please understand that school is very difficult for me and requires all of my time sometimes.

Dedications (which are extra deserved this time):

Kats02980416: I'm glad that you want to see Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship improve. Believe it or not, reviews like yours are what make me actually develop their relationship. Thanks a lot!

Shinobi-chan: Yay! You laughed! I try to keep humor in my stories throughout, and I'm glad that I'm sort of succeeding.

Squishy: I'm not going to wimp out! huffs indignantly I told you, I'm trying to be a responsible adult now, so I _will_ finish this story. Promise.

Meisah: I still have little indentions where my teeth used to be, actually. It's really weird, cause every time I eat, I have to swish water around to get little food particles out of the craters in my mouth…Anyway, after giving you the gross details…Thank you for saying you like my writing style! blush I hope you like this chapter, too.

Miko Ariko-901: Teehee! I'm glad you liked it! This chapter had, regrettably, less humor, but hopefully it still had enough.

M 'n' Ms: Hahahaha! Yes, platonically (as far as I know). Have I told you how much I love your reviews? And it doesn't matter that they're "late." I am a tardy person by nature (just look at my updates), so I don't mind.

LadyJynjr: Yay! I'm glad you liked it! I hope this chapter was to your satisfaction as well. And thanks for putting me on author alert.

Babo (times two!): Which part of chapter 8 are you confused about? If it's the Naraku and Kagome exchange, then that was supposed to not make any sense. If it's another part, then tell me and I'll see if I can explain it (I'll warn you now, I am the queen of bad explanations). Thanks for your two wonderful reviews!

Wow! I got tons of reviews! It would be so freakin awesome if I got to 100!!!


	12. I love you

The Princess and the Pauperess  
Chapter 12  
I love you

Miroku sat on one side of the room, Sango sat on the other. 

"I can't believe I let you talk me into staying at your place," she grumbled, almost too quietly for him to hear. He rolled his eyes.

"Where else could you go at this short of notice?" he asked reasonably.

"An inn," she replied flatly.

"Now, that wouldn't be very prudent. You want to save as much money as possible for your farm, remember?"

"Yeah, the farm. Now that Kohaku and I are free, we can start a real life and be a family again."

"That's wonderful, Sango."

"Don't mock me!" she exclaimed indignantly, throwing her shoe at him. He dodged. The shoe missed him by a mere inch with a bang against the wall. The neighbor hit the wall in retort, and Miroku sighed.

"I was being sincere. I am very happy for you. I'm just worried about Kouga," he explained calmly. Sango nodded her head.

"Yeah, me too."

"So, tell me about this farm, that should keep our minds off the bad."

"Okay," Sango agreed, and made her way to plop down beside him. He shot her a look. "What? It's easier to tell stories when you're sitting close," she informed him, blushing a little. He grinned inwardly as he made himself comfortable against the wall. She settled down as well.

"The farm," she started, "is on a green hill, with a creek below and forests on hills around. The house and barn are blue and white, and the house has two stories…"

"Is there a lounge?" Miroku asked when she paused.

"Why would we need a lounge?" she wondered. _We?__ **We**? _Had he heard right?

"I don't know. A lot of rich people have them." He shrugged.

"Okay, it has a lounge, with soft chairs and a couch, and three bedrooms, and a huge kitchen with a separate dining room. Everything is beautiful, and you can see the green grass out the windows. We'll have an herb garden, and fields of rye, and fruit trees and vegetables…" She trailed off again, a dreamy look in her eyes. Miroku couldn't help but notice how immaculately beautiful she was. "In the barn we'll have horses, and we'll have cows and goats, and pigs and chickens, and dogs and cats…Oh, it'll be amazing! The sun will set in the bedroom window, and rise in the kitchen, and we'll always have enough to eat." She turned to him, smiling.

"That sounds wonderful, Sango. Truly breathtaking."

"It will be." They were silent for a moment, until Sango tentatively put her arms around him. "I'm glad you're my friend, Miroku. I really am." What if he wanted to be more than friends?

"Me, too, Sango." He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her a little closer. Just a little.

"I know you could never be attracted to me," she said, pulling away, "but would you mind if I told you that I'm attracted to you?" He sat there, stunned into silence. His lack of response must've given her the wrong impression, for she said, "Please, don't be disgusted with me. It's just attraction; I'm sure it'll go away in ti--"

"Hey," he interrupted, locking eyes with her. "Didn't I already tell you that you could never disgust me?"

"How do you tolerate me so well?" she asked, turning away from him.

"I don't tolerate you," he insisted, turning her face gently to face him. "I, I…"

"What?" she demanded. Her defenses were clearly back in place.

"I l--" The door slammed open and Kikyou trudged in, glancing at both Miroku and Sango in turn.

"What?" she asked. "Did I interrupt something?" Miroku sighed dejectedly.

. . . . .

Inuyasha cracked an eye open and glanced at the bang blocking his vision. It was too early to get up, besides, he felt all snuggly and his legs were numb. Wait…why the hell were his legs numb, anyway?

"No!" a masculine voice bellowed. "I told you no a thousand times!" It sounded far away.

"Then why did I see you in the hallway with her?!" a feminine voice yelled back.

"Does your stupidity never sleep?!" the man demanded. A terrible crash resounded, followed by silence. Inuyasha wondered briefly if he'd just overheard a murder. He closed his eye again, preparing to drift off again, when he heard feet stomping. It sounded like they were coming toward the room.

"Goddammit, Kagura!" the masculine voice yelled again, and there were more crashing sounds. Inuyasha tried to sit up, but found there was a weight more-or-less preventing him from doing so. A decidedly female arm was draped over his chest, as well as a leg resting on his stomach. Confused, he turned his head to see inky black hair splayed over his arm. He followed the hair to a head, and found Kagome's peacefully sleeping face tucked against his ribs. The door was roughly jerked open, and Inuyasha hastily pushed Kagome from him. She landed on the floor with a dull thud.

"Oww…" she complained groggily.

"You slut!" Kagura screeched. "You _whore_!"

"Wha--?" Kagome wondered in response.

"I can't believe--Your ass is _mine_, bitch!" Inuyasha tried to stand, but his numb legs buckled under him. Sesshoumaru barreled into the room gracefully, somehow. "What happened to you?" Kagura asked, taking in his disheveled and slightly bloodied appearance.

"You pushed me through the fucking wall," he informed her, crossing his arms over his chest. Inuyasha couldn't help but notice that they were both in their sleeping robes. He also made note that Sesshoumaru looked even more womanly than ever.

"Well, you deserved it," she huffed back. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Did they wake him up so they could fight, or what?

"Whad're you doin in here?" Kagome slurred from her place on the floor. Kagura immediately snapped her gaze in that direction.

"Oh, yeah. I'm here for the royal whore's head," she spat.

"What? Why would you come to my room for her head?"

"No, _your_ head! I was being clever!" Kagura snapped.

"Well, you weren't doing a very good job," Sesshoumaru chimed in.

"I'll kick your ass," she warned.

"Okay," he replied as he slung her over his shoulder, ignored her scream, and secured his grip at her knees all in one motion. "We'll do that over breakfast." With his final say, he sauntered from the room, an irate Kagura struggling to free herself from his grip. Inuyasha allowed his head to drop to the ground. For some reason, he was very comfortable. Aside from the tingling pinpricks in his legs, that is.

"Kikyou Dearest," a voice called in a creepily seductive manner, startling Inuyasha into looking toward the door again. It was Naraku, of course. Who else could be that weird?

"Yes, Naraku Honey?" Kagome called back without raising her head. Inuyasha didn't miss the smirk on the man's face.

"I've sent for Kohaku. He will be arriving about midweek next week."

"Okay, thanks a lot," Kagome said. Without a word, Naraku strode over to the bed, picked Kagome up, and tucked her back in.

"Sleep as long as you like," Naraku told her before leaving, shutting the door behind himself. Inuyasha fell back asleep.

. . . . .

Kikyou stood by the road, waiting for the messenger to come by. He always took the same route. Soon enough, a cheery man with an unnatural bounce in his step came merrily down the road.

"Excuse me!" Kikyou called, rushing up to meet him. He stopped courteously.

"Yes?" he inquired.

"Do you happen to have a letter for one Kagome?" she asked, panting a little as she stood in front of him.

"Why, yes. You must be Kagome," he said conversationally. Kikyou nodded.

"Yes. I am."

"Here you go." He handed her the letter and began bouncing off again, but Kikyou grabbed his arm.

"Could you stay as I read this? It'll only take a second."

"I suppose." He shifted his weight as she broke the seal and quickly read the short note.

_Kohaku__ is to arrive midweek next week. We should switch that evening at nightfall._

Kikyou nodded and fished for a piece of charcoal in the pockets of her clothing. She found it and quickly scrawled her agreement below Kagome's note. She then refolded the paper and handed it back to the messenger boy.

"Here," she said. "Please give this to Princess Kikyou. It is urgent." He nodded and continued on his way.

"I will," he assured her over his shoulder, "upon my return to the castle."

"Thank you."

Midweek at nightfall it was.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Well, well, well…Another chapter for your viewing pleasure. I hope it was satisfactory, but if not, I will promptly come up with several excuses as to why. Haha, just kidding. I was actually trying for some closure in this chapter, believe it or not. Yeah, it didn't happen. But that's okay. This story has to end _sometime_; I can't keep procrastinating forever. And I know, Kikyou's part is terribly short. But I had to cut it short this chapter for anti awkward transition purposes…Anyway…

Dedications:

kag&inu: Yay! I'm glad you liked it! And what an awesome review! I've been beet red for days… Well, I hope this chapter is okay. Thank you so much for your review!!

Squishy: I was especially proud of my dramatic recap, too, thank you. And you're right. Kagome kissing Sesshoumaru is _strange_. I wasn't originally planning to do that, but it happened anyway. (Must be fate! Haha!) Thanks for your review!

WindSprite: Meisah!!! They are in denial! Thank you for the compliments, and I hope that I can save Kouga from execution!

M 'n' Ms: Of course it's okay if you're a month late! I'm a month late on every chapter…You're right about my dialogue. I've always had a problem with that. Thank you for pointing it out! It's such a deep-seeded problem that I don't even realize I'm doing it. I tried to remedy that in this chapter, I hope I did a good job! And I did note your wonderful use of vocabulary. Un-descriptive-y _should_ be in the dictionary, but that Webster guy had no idea what he was doing. Anyway, thanks for the review! I love having an editor review and give me advice--it's the best.

You all rule! I get so many great reviews! Also, you people who are reading and not reviewing rule, too. Why? Because you're _reading this story_! That's awesome!

As always, I ask for constructive and/or critical reviews. I'm trying to be a decent writer, here--I need all the help I can get! Thanks again.


	13. Prison

Just to let you know, the first part of this chapter is not in chronological order with the others. It's sort of an explanation for the last part of the last chapter, if that makes any sense. I thought it was weird how Kikyou got a letter from Kagome out of the blue…

The Princess and the Pauperess  
Chapter 13  
Prison

Kagome opened her eyes slowly, peering at the ceiling listlessly. What time was it? Was Kagura freaking out just a dream? She stretched, taking her time, and pulled the covers away from her body.

"Man, I'm so tired," she noted to herself, yawning hugely. She got out of bed, took a step, and tripped over something. "Ow!" she cried as her body made graceless contact with the hard floor.

"What time is it?" someone asked groggily. She squealed and quickly faced whoever it was. "Stop screamin, it's givin me a headache…" It was Inuyasha. Sleeping on her floor for some reason.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing in my room?" she asked.

"You were the one who made me stay," he told her as he sat up, rubbing his neck. "I'm never sleeping on this floor again," he mused.

"Good." Kagome crossed her arms over her chest, looking away. She didn't remember ever making Inuyasha stay in her room. He must've been sleepwalking, and thought she was Kikyou, and…and… "Oh, god!" she exclaimed, the blood rushing from her head in the horror of her thoughts.

"What's wrong with you now?" he demanded irritably as he popped his neck.

"You had another Kikyou attack and molested me in my sleep, didn't you?" She stood and made quick distance.

"What? You dumbass! If anything, _you _molested _me_. I woke up and you were draped all over me." Kagome felt herself blush at his comment. As if she would drape herself all over anyone, much less someone she didn't even like.

"You liked it, didn't you?" she teased, delighting in how red his face turned.

"What guy wouldn't?!" he retorted angrily. He seemed to be being honest…

"Did I really do that?" she asked.

"Yes!" he cried exasperatedly.

"Well, I must've had a good reason," she told herself.

"Yeah, if you consider grieving over your father a good reason…"

"Oh my god! My father! Kouga! Kikyou! I keep forgetting!" She darted over to the desk and pulled out a piece of paper, a pen, and some ink.

"What?" Inuyasha wondered.

"I forgot to tell Kikyou when we're switching!" She hurriedly dipped the pen into the ink. "Wait…I don't even know when Kohaku--"

"Midweek next week." She turned to Inuyasha, who had stood by that time, and shot him a look.

"How do you know?" she demanded incredulously.

"Naraku told you earlier this morning. I guess you were still too braindead to--"

"Shut up! I need silence to write!" She had to concentrate too hard on spelling to allow noise.

_Kohaku__ is too arive midweek next weak. We should switch that eavning at nightfall._

"Damn, your spelling is horrendous," Inuyasha noted as he laughed to himself.

"I told you to shut up. It's all your fault." She crossed her arms.

"Uh huh…Do you want my help or not?"

"Whatever." He reached over her shoulder and grabbed the pen, dipping it in the ink again.

"Move," he said. She obligingly rose and allowed him to take her place at the desk. He made some marks over and rewrote some of her letter. "There."

"Thanks," she said as he handed her the pen and stood. "You're not such a bad guy after all."

"Don't say that ever again," he warned. She couldn't tell if he was joking or not. He sauntered to the door and pulled it open. "I'll get the messenger." And he was gone. She sat down and looked at his helpful little notes.

_"Eavning"?__ What the fuck is an eavning?!_

She sighed. At least he had nice handwriting…

. . . . .

Kikyou sat on her side of the bars, talking quietly with Kouga. He looked more and more unhealthy the longer he was locked up in that cell.

"So Kagome and I will be switching back soon," she informed him. His look sharpened.

"What?"

"I know how to pardon you. Kagome doesn't know the procedures, and even if I told her, she wouldn't execute them properly," she explained.

"Don't use that word," he said.

"What?"

"Nothing. It was just a joke."

"I'm sorry, Kouga. I'm just so…I'm so worried. What if this doesn't work out? What if you--"

"Don't talk like that!" he bellowed, silencing her. She felt tears prick her eyes. As a princess, she had been trained to never cry. She had been told that beautiful ladies did not cry. "Kikyou, I love you. I would never leave you." She closed her eyes as he cupped her face in his hands, gently wiping away with his thumb the one tear that fell.

"Two days till your head rolls!" a gleeful voice suddenly called. Kikyou whirled her head in that direction. It was one of the guards.

"Two days?!" she cried. "Midweek won't be for another four!" The guard shrugged.

"Not my problem."

"Kikyou, what's wrong?" Kouga asked.

"Oh, god. I messed up. I messed up…" She stood and faced the guards. "You cannot execute this man!" she told them firmly.

"Oh, really? The king's law says we can," one of them retorted.

"The king's daughter says you can't!" They laughed. "I am Princess Kikyou, only daughter of the King and heir to the throne!"

"That's treason, little lady. Claiming to be someone you're not." The guards moved toward her.

"I am who I say I am. I've been in hiding for the past month," she insisted.

"If you've been gone, how come we haven't heard about it?" They were in range to grab her.

"I don't have to explain anything to you, you dogs! You swine!"

"Kikyou!" Kouga called. She screamed as her body was thrown against the bars with the force of the backhanded blow she'd received to the face.

"That'll teach you," one of the guards growled. She sank to the ground. Her face was numb, and she could not see out of one eye.

"Kouga, I'm so sorry," she whispered as each guard took one of her arms and hoisted her to her feet.

"You'll be executed, too, Kikyou!" he replied desperately, reaching through the bars in vain.

"Kikyou?! Oh my god, what's going on?" Sango's voice called. She heard the patter of feat running in her direction.

"Stand back," one of the guards said. Sango stopped. "This girl here's under arrest for treason."

"What?"

"It's true, Sango. I told them I was the princess."

"Oh no," Sango gasped. "She's crazy. She's my little sister. I saw myself when she fell from the roof. She's never been the same--"

"That won't work. What do you think this is?" one of the guards demanded.

"It's okay, Sango. Just tell Kagome. Tell her what's going on."

She was roughly tossed into the cell across from Kouga's. She didn't want to take responsibility for what she'd done. She didn't want to know that Kouga was going to die; she didn't want to feel the dull throb in her face anymore. So she closed her eyes.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wah! Poor Kikyou and Kouga! I feel so bad for them, but my sadistic nature is telling me to torture them more…And what is up with this new system ffnet has? It won't let me do smiley faces anymore! WHY?! Ahem…At least this story is finally coming to a climax. That's good news for everyone, especially all you patient readers out there. Yay, yay!

Dedications:

Shrimple13: Yay! I'm glad you like this story! For some reason, Inu/Kag fluff doesn't come easily in this story, but I will try to squeeze some in before the end. Who does Naraku love? Hm…good question. I'll give you a hint: her name starts with a 'K'. (Insert winking smiley face here.) Thank you so much for your review!

WindSprite: Haha! I think Kagura should beat up on Sesshoumaru more often, too. Perhaps she will, who knows? As for Miroku telling Sango the truth…Hopefully he won't have to, cause he seems to have bad luck in that area. Heh, I know what you mean about your typing reverberating off the walls. I used to update The Wish to Break All during my Webpage Design class at school, while we were supposed to be quietly reading from our books. Hahaha…good times…

AngleCat HellFire: Yay! I'm so happy you like it!! Woohoo! Thanks for your review.

Princess Krystal01: Yeah, poor Miroku…Hopefully things will look up for him in the next chapter! (Insert smiley.)

Rayoko: Wow! What an unexpectedly awesome review!!! I'm warning you, this is by far the best story I've written, so you might not like my others.

SWEET! I got five AWESOME reviews!!! You all have made me a very happy authoress. (Insert insanely happy smiley face.) And I'm sorry this chapter was so short. I always do that. Cause I zone out so much, it feels like I've written a lot, but I really haven't. Does anyone else have that problem? If so, has anyone figured out how to solve it? I would love to know.


	14. Your death

Oh my god! School is starting! I cry a thousand tears…

The Princess and the Pauperess  
Chapter 14  
Your death

Kagome read the terribly written letter from both Sango and Miroku. From what she could understand, Kikyou was now in prison as well, and both she and Kouga were scheduled to be executed the next day. She silently thanked the castle's close proximity to the town, otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten the letter in time. But what to do, now that she was the last hope? She'd never been anyone's last hope before, and had no idea how to go about saving the day. Sighing deeply, she rubbed her temples with her index fingers, willing herself to come up with something--to think. Think…Think…

"Kikyou Dearest," Naraku called as he opened the door to her room. She smiled at him.

"Hey," she greeted. He frowned in concern.

"Is something troubling you?" he asked, sitting next to her on the bed. She nodded.

"Yes. The…the real Princess Kikyou has been thrown in prison. I don't know what to do. I can't just do nothing, I don't have enough time to think. They're going to be executed tomorrow." She allowed him to stroke her hair, and rested her head on his shoulder. He had the creepiest way of consoling her, but it worked.

"Tomorrow?" he asked. She nodded sadly. He sighed.

"I'm guessing you don't know how to issue a pardon…"

"No…"

"The King is too ill, and you're his only heir. Only you can."

"Not me. Kikyou. Only she can." She took in a shaky breath. "Or…maybe the King _isn't_ too ill." She rose to her feet and smiled once more at Naraku before dashing off to the King's bedroom, where he was on strict bedrest. Miraculously, she got there, and calmed herself before quietly entering the room.

"Father?" she asked unsurely, making soft way to his bedside. "Your Majesty?" He was so peacefully asleep, she almost didn't want to wake him, but she had to. He was their only hope. "Your Highness," she cooed as she gently shook him. He was cold.

Oh. Shit.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, wake up," she ordered a bit louder, her voice hitching in fear. He couldn't be…But she knew he was. "Oh god, he's dead!" she shrieked. What was she going to do? What the _hell_ was she going to do now?! A servant rushed into the room.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"He--he's…dead," Kagome uttered.

"Dead?!" The servant hurried over to check the King's pulse. "Yes…" She then scampered out of the room, hollering that the King was dead.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, that you didn't get to see your daughter before you died," Kagome told him earnestly as she brushed a stray hair from his cold, discolored face.

"What the fuck is going on?!" a harsh, currently unwelcome voice demanded. She turned to Inuyasha, repeating that the King was dead. "Oh shit," he agreed. "You know what this mea--"

"Princess Kikyou," a tall, stately man said authoritatively from the doorway behind Inuyasha. Kagome stared at him.

"Yes?" she finally replied. Inuyasha grudgingly moved out of the man's way as he swooped into the room, bowing before her. "Um…" she started, but his flourishing about distracted her.

"You must come to the throne room. As the King's most trusted advisor, I was given the duty of bestowing the crown upon you if you were unwed at the time of his death."

"Wha--Oh, um…I…ah…" she stuttered, looking to Inuyasha pleadingly for some help. He offered none, simply looking at her in a strange way. She suddenly felt like she needed to be away from the dead King, away from the advisor, and most of all, away from Inuyasha. "I can't take the crown!" she shouted before running from the room. She heard thudding, booted footsteps behind her and knew that Inuyasha was giving chase. Try as he might, she knew that he could never catch a pickpocket. She tapped into her "running-from-the-cops-oh-shit-they-have-dogs" reserves, and soon he was shouting at her to stop in frustration, sounding very distant. She still didn't stop. She would leave. Just leave and pretend that none of this ever happened. She couldn't be crowned, she couldn't marry to get out of being crowned. Suddenly, a strong, male body tackled her from the side, controlling the fall so that he took most of it. It still hurt. She glared at the guy who'd tackled her. Naraku.

"You can't run away. Other people are depending on you," he told her, seemingly unfazed by the fall. He tucked some hair behind her ear and ran his thumb along her jaw. "I know that the King's dead. Take the crown, then make your advisors issue a pardon in your name." What he said was so logical, but she didn't want to be Queen. She didn't want to see the castle ever again. She stood, helping him to his feet before throwing her arms around him in one of the biggest hugs she'd ever given anybody.

"You're so weird," she told him, "but I love you anyway."

"You love me?" he asked.

"Sure. You're like a big brother. Or…a creepy uncle."

He laughed.

"Good." He pushed her away. "Now go make this right." She nodded and turned back the way she'd come. She would do the right thing.

Naraku watched his nameless princess walk away, a certain boyish strength in her gate that no lady could show. He had learned her name long ago, due to Inuyasha's blatancy, but chose not to remember. She was enigmatic, as he liked. He loved everything about her--her sincerity, her naïveté, her youth, and her secrets. He knew that Inuyasha was inexplicably taken with her and smirked when said man stopped confusedly to watch the princess heading in the opposite direction. Toward the throne room. His love was inexplicable as well. He'd never felt in any particular way toward anybody, and his strong feelings toward this girl were perplexing, but not troubling. Indeed, they were quite pleasant. Suddenly, Inuyasha was approaching him.

"You told her to take the crown, didn't you?" the younger man demanded. Naraku sighed, but his smirk quickly replaced itself.

"Yes," he replied calmly.

"You do know that she's a peasant, right? You know she's not Kikyou!" Inuyasha seemed terribly distraught. He couldn't see why.

"I know the truth. She's a princess, in the truest sense of the word." He couldn't keep the affection from his voice, and Inuyasha caught it.

"You love her," he growled.

"Very much."

"Dammit, they'll find out eventually! Do you want her to be beheaded? Do you love her that much, that you're willing to let her die?"

"If it's the right thing, she has to do it."

Inuyasha spun on his heel, frustrated that he could do nothing about the choice the princess had to make.

Naraku knew what she was going to do, and he loved that most of all.

Kikyou had come to terms with her death, but Kouga hadn't. He had been pestering the guards since her incarceration, and she knew he wouldn't stop pleading for her life until he'd been hanged. She loved him for his persistence, but she really wished he'd stop so they could share some quality time together before they were both killed.

"Kouga," she said during one of his silent streaks. He looked to her. "I know you want me to live, and it's sweet, really, but shut up." He blinked.

"Make me," he retorted flippantly. She sighed as he continued bad-mouthing the guards. If, by some obscure miracle, they lived through this, she would beat the shit out of him.

Woo…lots of love in this chapter! I couldn't resist doing a little snippet of Naraku's PoV, because I've had so much fun writing his character, and after that I couldn't resist a small, not quite as serious Kikyou scene. Don't worry, a relief from all the death and destruction is soon at hand! And I'm not sorry that this chapter sucked, because I forced it out so that my wonderful readers wouldn't have to go too long without an update.

Dedications:

Squishy:

sugarsprite: Wah! Chivalry be damned! But thanks for the review, all the same. I'm glad that you approve of my story. Honestly, I think it's a little…Well, anyway. Thanks for checking my spelling! I am notorious for writing/typing words backwards and skipping key words (like the subject) in sentences.

mercedes: A single word review! Sweet! Thank you for saying the story is great. It makes me happy.

M 'n' Ms: Hahahaha! Reviewing out of order…tsk, tsk. Sesshoumaru and Kagura are a lot of fun. Especially to make fun of…I laugh evilly.

seikkyokuka: Haha, yes he is. So mean, indeed.

Angel: Wow! So many pleases!! Thank you for being so desperate for me to update (what a terrible thing for me to say…) You're awesome!

You all are SO FREAKIN SWEET! Everyone who reads this story, if I could afford it, would get a sucker. But alas…I'm predicting that the story will be one to two more chapters, unless I screw up and need to tie some loose ends with an epilogue or something. Whatever. My goal is one…Woohoo!


	15. Queen

The Princess and the Pauperess

Chapter 15  
Queen

As she ruthlessly shoved the throne room doors open, a sudden shock of fear pierced her insides. Everyone turned to look, relief clear on their faces when they realized that their "princess" hadn't run away. She forced her apprehension away and took a deep, steady breath as she approached the assistant who would crown her. She had to, it was the only way to ensure that everything returned to its proper order. Unless there really was no proper order and she was just being needlessly melodramatic. Yes, perhaps she could just close her eyes and it would all go--_Get a hold of yourself!_

"I'm not the Princess!" she belted out before she could stop herself. Not that she'd wanted to. Well, only a little bit. Everyone stared, and she turned instinctively to find Inuyasha in the doorway, looking shell-shocked. For some reason, she couldn't look away. He had been the first to know of her situation, he'd kept her confidence, and, though she'd be loathe to admit, he'd become a sort of rock for her. He and Naraku both. The only difference was: Naraku knew how a proper rock behaved, and Inuyasha didn't. As he so adequately proved with his next utterance.

"What the fuck are you thinking, Kagome?!" His face had contorted into anger, and he strode toward her, breaking all the others in the room from their horribly shocked stupor. The advisor quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Please explain why you say this," he commanded. She took a breath to respond, but found Inuyasha already speaking for her.

"She's ill. I believe that the death of her father has caused a temporary lapse of--."

"Inuyasha! What are you doing?!" she screeched, appalled. Trying to keep up the lie any longer would just cause more trouble. And the deaths of Kikyou and Kouga.

"I'm saving your neck, what do you think I'm doing?" he roared back. She stamped her foot angrily. No one bothered to interrupt their squabble. "Do you _want_ to be beheaded?" he demanded challengingly.

"Yes. I do!" she retorted as she jabbed a finger to his chest. "And I suggest you butt out unless you plan on going down with me!"

"I do, then, you selfish cow!"

"Fine, you violent pig!"

They stood nose-to-nose, glaring, fists clenched, for a good while, until the silence was broken.

"I will not believe that you are not the Princess until it is proven to me otherwise," the advisor announced. Kagome reluctantly turned from the solace of fighting with Inuyasha to respond.

"Very well. Go, as quickly as you can, to the prison in town and gather two prisoners. Kagome and Kouga. I want them cleaned up and brought into the throne room as soon as possible." The advisor nodded his consent of her request, and he briskly swept from the room, everyone else leaving shortly behind him.

"You're bossy," Inuyasha mused, glancing sideways at her. She smiled.

"And you're needlessly belligerent. So what?"

"I don't want you to be executed," he said, suddenly serious. She sighed and turned her back on him, slumping her shoulders as she paced away.

"Neither do I. But I must suffer the consequences of my actions." Running a hand through her hair, she sighed again.

"You don't have to be so goddamn noble all the time!" He huffed in what she thought a rather childish way. "Why can't you just let well enough alone?" he practically whined.

"And let Kikyou and Kouga die? And be crowned Queen? Like hell!" She whirled on him, defensive that he would even suggest that she would consider not doing the right thing.

"Why don't you want to be Queen?"

"I'm not a leader. It would be too much pressure. And I wouldn't be able to marry who I wanted."

"You could marry Naraku. I'm sure you'd like that." Was it just her, or was there a sneer in his voice? He raised an eyebrow. Not just her, then.

"No. I wouldn't." She shook her head to emphasis her point, hoping he'd get it the first time around.

"Sure you would," he countered intelligently. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't want to argue with you right now. But I know that I would never marry Naraku." She met his eyes deliberately, hoping she wouldn't have to repeat herself. He glared.

* * *

Kikyou was yelling at Kouga, who was throwing things at the guards, who were taunting them about their executions. Sango and Miroku exchanged whispered commentary.

"Kouga, I swear, if we get out of this alive, I will beat you senseless!" Kikyou threatened. Kouga chucked his tin food tray at the smaller guard, who barely dodged in time. Both guards laughed and made the kill gesture.

"Twenty," Miroku noted.

"Nineteen," Sango countered.

"No, I'm pretty sure that's the twentieth time the kill gesture has been used."

"No. Remember that one time, they were about to do it, but Kouga threw a brick at them? I think you counted that."

"I most certainly did not. You just lost count." He grinned at her as she began going through all the times she could remember, silently ticking them off on her fingers as she went. Miroku was ecstatic that Sango was interested in him, but puzzled as to why she still insisted that he didn't share her feelings. He obviously did. She glanced at him, noticing that he'd been staring, her mouth slightly open. A perfect moment to kiss her. He leaned toward her slowly, giving her enough time to reject him. So close...just three inches more...

"We're here on the Princess's orders!" someone hollered from the end of the long hall.

"Goddammit," Miroku muttered to himself as Sango turned away from him, trying to get a better look at the intruder. He'd been waiting so long. Surely one kiss wasn't too much for karma to allow!

"We've come for the prisoners Kagome and Kouga, who are to be brought to the castle immediately!"

"Huh?" everyone chorused. The man motioned for the guards to release the two prisoners. Miroku and Sango exchanged looks. Immediately, when their doors were unlocked, Kikyou pounced on Kouga and began pummeling him in the head, a crazed look in her eyes.

"What if we had _died_, huh?!" she shrieked. "What then?!" The guards pried her off of him, and he smirked.

"I love you, Pumpkin," he cooed, half mockingly. She half glared, half smiled in return, and they were ushered down the hall. No one noticed that Sango and Miroku were trailing behind, musing as to why the two were needed at the palace.

"Maybe Kagome told them the truth," Sango suggested. Miroku nodded.

"Another possibility is that, as she was narrating to herself her situation, the King's horde of ninja spies overheard her and took her into custody."

"A horde of ninja spies, Miroku?" Sango reiterated dryly. "Sometimes you're such a little boy."

"If I weren't boyish, I wouldn't be half as charming."

"Oh? And what's half of zero?"

Kikyou tried to wave at them as she was shoved rudely into a carriage with bars for doors and windows. They waved back.

"I love you," Miroku said so casually that he hardly believed he'd said it. Sango crossed her arms over her chest.

"I find that hard to believe," she scoffed, her lovely face showing her annoyance. Annoyance that covered fear, Miroku was sure.

"Let's make a deal, then. You marry me, and I'll prove to you every day that what I said is and always will be true." She stared at him, her jaw slack in surprise. Then her features hardened and she ground out a "No."

"Please. You can nag me and yell at me and make me sleep on the floor when you're pissed." He gripped her right hand in both of his. She tried not to crack a smile, and almost succeeded. He kept her eye contact with the most pleading look he could muster. Puppy eyes had never worked on her before, but there was always hope.

"Miroku, I..." She bit her lip and took a deep breath. "I...I think..."

_I think I love you,_ she finally mouthed, unable to say it aloud. He grinned from ear to ear, pulling her into a crushing hug.

* * *

Okay. I decided to cut the last chapter into two separate chapters. It was just turning out to be too long, since a lot of things still need closure. (I knew this was going to happen.) Anyway, I want anyone who reviews to try and give me at least two plot holes that they've noticed in my story, since I'm going to go back and edit all of my stories, including this one. The only way to learn from your mistakes is to see them, and I admit that I cannot see all of my mistakes. The end of this chapter is frustrating, because it's so...dumb. And weak, and cliché, but that doesn't matter. I have a tendency toward anticlimax, and am trying to work through it. Enough of my blathering.

Dedications:

Livvy22: Yay! I have plot twists! Your review makes me happy. Thanks!

the randomer (times 5!): OHMYGOD! You are awesome! AWESOME, I say! Ahem...Thank you for all your wonderful reviews!

M 'n' Ms: You didn't skip a chapter. Yay! I'm glad chapter 14 was better. Hopefully this one's okay as well, but, I dunno. I'm all pissed that I have to go to school now. Psh. And I'm sick of learning about the Archetypal Earth Mother. For the love of sanity...Er...Sorry. I'm just ranting now, aren't I? Well, thanks for your review!!

Squishy: Oh no! Did it delete my dedication to you?!?! I'M SO SORRY. Anyway. I'm not rushing the ending. See? It's even taking me more than one chapter. And I am taking your advice and editing all my fics--after I'm done with this one. But you have to promise to be nice when you point out all the mistakes I'm still overlooking. You evil bastard.

Duet Masaki: Yay! I'm glad you like it! I hope this chapter was up to par as well.

Reviews are awesome! I love being able to communicate with those who (for whatever reason) read my stories! Woohoo. I'm getting into that gushy "I love the world. See my grin of joy" mood. Whyyy.


	16. Test

The Princess and the Pauperess  
Chapter 16  
Test

Everyone turned simultaneously as Kikyou and Kouga were roughly escorted through the throne room doors, preceded by the advisor.

"The prisoners Kouga and Kagome," the man announced, flourishing his arm in their direction. Kagome frowned at their condition. They'd been cleaned up, of course, but it was obvious that they'd been nearly starved while they'd been locked away.

"Thank you," Kagome said. She was suddenly ushered to the throne and more-or-less toppled into a seated position. Naraku smirked mischievously and rubbed her leg as he whispered, "I thought you should sit here at least once in your lifetime." She smiled nervously in reply and winced when Kikyou and Kouga were shoved harshly onto their knees facing the throne.

"Now," the advisor started, "the prisoners are before you. What shall be done with them?"

Kagome stood and pointed at Kikyou, practically screaming, "She's the real princess!" just as Sesshoumaru and Kagura poked their heads in the door. They glanced around, decided there was nothing interesting going on, and went on their way. A murmur rippled through the room.

"That can't be!" the advisor exclaimed.

"It sure as hell can!" Kagome yelled back. "We switched places when Kikyou's carriage broke down outside of town. I can barely handle pretending to be a princess—I don't even want to think of being crowned Queen!" She laced her fingers in her hair and held her head. The advisor turned to Kikyou, who stood.

"It's true," she confirmed. "I was sick of being hindered by my status and took advantage of the situation. I am ashamed that I have allowed things to get so carried away." The advisor looked from one to the other, conjuring a decision.

"This is not a light matter. It must be proven to me that you are telling the truth. We will conduct a simple test: whoever can correctly illustrate the royal seal is the real Princess Kikyou." Both girls nodded. The advisor requested two easels, two canvases, and two charcoal pieces to be brought in immediately. And Inuyasha, who, after his incriminating outburst, had disappeared somehow.

After the requested items and angry former messenger boy were brought in, Kikyou's shackles were removed, and they took their places, each at an easel, charcoal at the ready. Inuyasha and Kouga both refused to watch the scene. Kaede, Kikyou's younger sister, and her nanny/etiquette instructor stepped in, standing by the door, Naraku smirked, and everyone held their collective breath.

"Begin!" barked the advisor. Both girls immediately began scratching upon the canvases with their pieces of charcoal. A short time passed, and Kagome grinned madly, stepping back as she folded her arms over her chest. Kikyou was done a few moments later and both easels were turned toward the crowd. An abrupt gasp filled the room as everyone saw that "Kagome" had drawn the seal to perfection, and "Princess Kikyou" had drawn a cute little squirrel. The advisor's eyes widened, but he dropped to a knee, bowing deeply to the real Princess Kikyou. The rest followed suit save Inuyasha and Kouga (who was already on the floor). The crown was brought in, and the advisor took it gingerly. Kikyou bowed and allowed him to place it on her head, then sat in the throne. She spotted Kouga and smiled. She, according to the laws that royalty was not above, was only allowed to pardon one serious criminal offense. Unfortunately, Kouga, Kagome, and Inuyasha all fell into that category. She smirked to herself, thinking of how ironic it was that she, sunken cheeks, rags, and all, was seated at her father's throne, wearing her mother's crown. Yes, very ironic. Kagome sneaked a glance at Kouga, and gave him a little wave. He waved back. They were both (along with everyone else) still bowing to their Queen, waiting for her to make her first move.

"My first act as Queen," she began eloquently despite the thirsty grate in her voice, "is to demand a glass of water." Kagome almost hit her face on the floor. She'd been expecting something profound! Not a freaking glass of water. A servant rushed off to fulfill the request. "My second is to pardon Kouga of his criminal charges." Kouga grinned and leaped up, then made as if to hug Kikyou. Out of nowhere, three men tackled him. "My third is to reduce Kagome and Inuyasha's sentence to banishment."

"What?!" Inuyasha bellowed.

"Contain yourself!" the advisor roared. Inuyasha's face began to turn red as he held his breath against any more outbursts. Kagome stood with the help of another out-of-nowhere guard.

"Honestly, did you think you'd get off scot-free for torturing Kagome?" Kikyou asked sweetly, addressing Inuyasha. He shook his fist at her, and was immediately tackled by three men. He and Kagome were dragged from the throne room.

"This is all your fault!" he snarled at her.

"Hey! You said you were willing to go down with me, remember?!"

"I did not!"

"You did, too!"

Thus began their banishment.

Kikyou eventually found a way around the law forbidding her marriage to a lower class, and married Kouga. Her reign was the second longest in history, rivaled only by her father's. During her time as Queen, education was expanded to include the lower classes, prison conditions were improved, and official alliances were forged with two neighboring kingdoms, one of them ruled by Sesshoumaru and Kagura.

Sango got her brother back, and she and Miroku were married. They had four children: three boys and a girl. They built their farm and became very successful.

Kagome and Inuyasha were never seen again, though they sent the occasional profanity-riddled letter to the Queen and her loyal husband.

Poor Naraku never found a wife.

* * *

Okay! That's the end...For now. I may change the way I wrote it, cause it seems pretty flat to me. I just didn't wanna write anymore! Waaah, I whine. I know that the ending practically screams continuation, but NO! I DON'T WANNA WRITE A SEQUEL!!!! If someone wants a sequel bad enough, they can just write it for themselves. Hmph. But…um…if anyone does do that (for whatever reason), please state somewhere what you are doing, otherwise you may be blamed for plagiarizing, and that's never fun, especially if you are innocent! (Believe me, I know. I've even been blamed for something someone stole from me!!) Oh, and one more thing. I am so sorry that the last chapter has taken this long to come out! I was originally going to put it out the same week as the chapter before, but then I got a huge English assignment, and since I'm failing English, I figured I'd dedicate all my time to it and do a good job. Yeah…In case you're curious, it didn't work. I got a D on that assignment!!!!! ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Er………anyway………. 

Dedications:

WindSprite: It's okay! I totally understand about evil internet! I'm glad that you liked the last chapter, and I hope that this chapter was at least tolerable. Thanks for your review!!

Duet Masaki: Yay! I'm glad that last chapter was good! This chapter isn't. But I've never really liked endings...

Princess Krystal01: Teehee. Thanks!

animejacksparrowlover: I'm glad you like it so far. I hope the ending was okay as well! Thanks for the review!

the randomer (times 2!): I'm glad Aukana and Kai like this story too. ::blush:: You guys will make my head explode with compliments one of these days....And I'm sorry this update took so long! Thanks so much for all of your support!!

KIO (times 3!): "Lollers"! That's awesome! Your reviews made me laugh. Hahaha! I've updated, and now you know. I hope that it was somewhat worth it, and still gave you a couple of chuckles.

Wow! You all are so freakin sweet!!!!! I got so many wonderful reviews for this story. Believe it or not, sometimes I just felt like deleting the whole thing and writing something else, but your feedback really helped me stay on track. Thanks a lot! (Oh look, I'm getting emotional.) And thanks to everyone who read this story all the way through, whether you reviewed or not. I hope you enjoyed it.

Until next time, which is yet to be determined! (Insert winky face)


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